The Mission
by LonelyAquarian
Summary: How Does One Avenge Their Death?
1. Love Nest

The sound of a sledgehammer explodes out of nowhere. The wall shudders. Chunks of plaster crash to the floor. The air fills with new swirls of white dust. The sledgehammer smashes into view. Beams of sunlight cut through the cracks, piercing the atmosphere like searchlights in a fog. A huge section of wall falls as more plaster billows into the air.

"Damn! What a fucking mess!" Jackson exclaimed.

"I told you so!" April teases Jackson. "You can't say that I didn't tell you so. Now, I can perform my _'I told you so dance'_ all I want!"

"Hush you!" Jackson says playfully. "Let's get back to knocking down this wall."

"Ok, ok. Man, I can't wait to finish up this place, babe." Says an excited April.

"Me either."

April starts coughing.

"April what's wrong?" Jackson asks before he notices her mask around her neck.

"I-" She coughs even more.

"Use your mask, dummy." Jackson says before laughing at April's dismay.

"Alright, alright!" April says before she hisses at Jackson.

"You two are so, very sick." Lexie remarks with a smirk on her face.

"Tell me something that I don't already know." April responds as she is putting on her mask.

"Enough chit chat, ladies. Let's get back to work." Jackson says.

"April, I think you found yourself a dictator."

"God, Lexie, you are so stupid." Jackson laughs and they all get back to work.

"Money this, that, the other…..Cause I come home to you!" April sings as her hammer pounds the wall. Jackson and Lexie laugh at her.

Jackson Avery, who is 29, has a bandanna covering his short, black curly hair and a workman's mask over his nose. April Kepner, 28, is also hidden behind a mask, but she has a petite body and beautiful features to die for. Sweat is dripping down her brow, leaving streaks in the dust and her dark brown hair. Lexie, 30, removes her mask revealing a good looking young woman with fashionable sneakers. All three have their shirts off, sporting muscle tees, continuing to knock down the wall. Suddenly a shaft of light penetrates the darkness. Another thud to the wall and more light enters the room. The women see a hole. The hook of a crowbar enters it, grappling with something around the edges. Then, with a tug and a loud yank, a huge section of tin ceiling crashes to the floor. Huge clouds of dust fly into the air. Jackson looks up, astonished.

"April look, there's a whole eight feet up there."

"And about eighty years of dust." Lexie says.

"We have all this height, Jackman." April says in amazement. "You know what we could do with all this height, J?"

"Get a trampoline so that the three of us can jump like we're crazy?"

"Jackson, that is an awesome idea!" Lexie says.

"No babe. We could add a second floor and put our bedroom upstairs. That would leave all this space."

"Space? For what?" Asked a confused Jackson asks, eyeing April curiously.

"For space. Just space." April tells him.

"Ooh. April, being mysterious? What is your plan, girl?"

"Nothing, Lexie."

"I don't know about you, but all this space would be great for bumper cars." Jackson says dreamily.

While April would agree that it is a good plan, she's actually thinking about the lives that they would eventually build together.

Lexie laughs as she looks at Jackson. Their bodies, covered with white powder, appear as strange, ghostly figures.

"Jackson, may I say something without getting offended?"

"That depends. What's on your mind, Lexie?"

"April, this may be none of my business, but I'm concerned your husband has been doing too much coke."

April then glances down at Jackson's white-covered body. They all laugh.

"Hey, Jackson, turn around." April says.

Jackson obeys. April doodles on his chest, drawing a bow tie and the outline of a tuxedo jacket. Her lines are quick, accomplished, and subtly erotic.

"Perfect! This is your best piece yet!" Jackson exclaims.

"What about me?" Lexie pouts as she offers his body. Jackson laughs. April nods. He reaches out and superimposes an armless female torso over his. His stomach jumps sensually as he touches it. Jackson pulls back to admire his work. Lexie looks like a Greek statue.

"Are you happy now?" Jackson asks.

"Happy? I fucking love it! I'm never washing again!"

"Ok. That's just fucking sick." April says, but she laughs. They all laugh.

Jackson, April, and Lexie are holding their sledgehammers. Jackson begins to count.

"All together now." Jackson tells April and Lexie.

"Ok." The other two respond.

"One." They strike the wall with their sledgehammers. The wall shakes.

"Two." They pound again. The wall begins to give way.

"Three." In unison, they hit it once more. A massive section of plaster and metal topples to the ground. New clouds of dust fill the air. Suddenly, Jackson spies an old jar lying on the floor and he picks it up. Something rattles inside it, a penny.

"Hey, look what I found! There's a penny inside." Jackson says.

"Will you let me see it?" April wonders and Jackson hands it to her.

"This is now for luck. For luck in our new loft. It's a good omen." April says, but Jackson shakes his head, disagreeing.

"You're the good omen." He glances at her lovingly.

Lexie looks at the two of them and grins.

As the dust settles we see, for the first time, the outlines of the space they are working in. It is a huge loft over four thousand square feet. Banks of windows run east and west. Jackson steps back and admires the room.

"It's gorgeous." Jackson states.

"You guys lucked out. You really lucked out." Lexie tells them. "Hell, I bet you could sell it tomorrow and double your investment."

"Sell it? Lexie, we just bought it." Jackson tells her.

"What I wouldn't do for a place like this. This place is really amazing." Lexie sighs.

"It's gonna be great." April remarks.

* * *

 **AN/ Updates Will Be Every Friday or Saturday For A Good While. I Hope You'll Enjoy This!**


	2. Calls

It is morning rush hour. April and Lexie, both wearing business attire, exit the Wall Street subway station and approach the Headquarters of Market Security Bank & Trust.

"Oh, by the way, April, I had to move your 3:00 with Bob Kahan to 4:00 so you could squeeze in Gary Alan. He called yesterday and said he has to see you today about the Danway stuff. Three o'clock was the only time he could make it. Also, the main board meeting in L.A. has been confirmed for the 12th, while the other business meetings are taking place from the 13th-16th. I got you on a 9:00 a.m. flight for next week Tuesday." Lexie notices that April seems preoccupied.

"Hey, April, relax. The isn't brain surgery you're going into."

"I'm sorry I'm freaking out, man. I hate pitching to these Japanese guys. They make me nervous. I mean, what am I supposed to say, _'Who do you think'll win that big Sumo championship?_ _"_ April says.

"April, stop worrying about it, sis. I know that you'll be fine. You're great with people." Lexie reassures.

April's jacket flares open. She is wearing yellow suspenders. Lexie notices.

"Hey, nice. I like those." Lexie compliments her.

April, not completely comfortable wearing them, buttons her blazer.

 _"_ _Jackson_ _….."_ April thinks. _"damn his revenge."_

Lexie smiles and then turns to admire a car going by.

"Jesus, look at that, a Lamborghini. I don't know about you, but that's the car I'm gonna drive when I'm making two hundred grand."

"Sorry to break this to you Lexie, but it must be said. Better pay off your Mustang first." April says apologetically.

* * *

April and Lexie are standing on a crowded elevator. It is deadly quiet. Suddenly, Lexie elbows April and winks. There is something she wants her to do. April hesitates a moment, annoyed, and then relents. She clears her throat.

"So Lexie, what did the doctor say?"

"He said it was contagious. Very contagious. I shouldn't even be going into work today." Lexie coughs loudly. "But what could I do?" She sneezes. People on the elevator freeze.

"And what about the rash?"

"Not good. It's spreading everywhere. Everywhere!"

"Oh no. On your genitals again?"

"Everywhere. He said be sure not to touch anyone."

April sees people trying to inch away. Lexie coughs again, touching one of the passengers. They hold their breath. The elevator stops at the next floor. All the passengers get off.

"You are sick, Lex." April tells her while they exit the elevator as well.

April and Lexie, laughing, walk through a large office area bustling with activity. Employees, in various cubicles, are talking on telephones and punching information into computers. April heads into her executive office. Lexie steps into a cubicle across the aisle. Betty, April's secretary, approaches her.

"Morning, Mr. Stevens." She says with a huge smile on her face.

"Morning Betty. Listen, when the Kobiashi people arrive, have Eleanor take them right to the..."

"They're already here."

"They're here?" April asks, visibly annoyed.

She points to a windowed conference room. April turns around and sees a large group of Japanese men standing inside.

"They're early!"

"I know. And Gary Clark called. He said they need $900,000 transferred to Albany by noon. Today."

"By noon? Today? Damn!" She hurries over to Lexie's cubicle. She is on the phone.

"Could you hold for a moment please?" Lexie cups the mouthpiece.

"Hey Sam. What's up?"

"Listen, sorry to be a pest, but it's highly crucial. Stone needs $900,000 in Albany by noon, today. Can you please transfer it to her payroll account?"

"Sure. Just let me have your MAC code."

April pulls out her wallet and extracts a small address book. She quickly jots the code numbers on a piece of paper and hands it to Lexie.

"Discretion, huh?"

"You bet." Lexie says, nodding her head in agreement. "I'll do it right away."

* * *

April and a group of fifteen somber Japanese businessmen are sitting around a large granite conference table. April stands up and speaks a simple greeting to them.

"Good morning, Gentlemen. On behalf of Market Security Bank & Trust, I welcome you to our city." April says in Japanese. The men smile happily and nod their heads in unison.

"Arigato." The men respond. They look to April, expecting more. Uncomfortable, she clears her throat.

"I'm sorry." She tells the gentlemen apologetically. "I'm afraid that's the only Japanese I know. But I realize it's not our language fluency, or lack of it, that brings you to Market Security. Rather, I'm sure, it is our banking expertise, our ability to represent and anticipate all of your banking needs. As you know, we are not the largest banking establishment in New York." She rambles. Her throat goes dry and ahe takes a sip of water. "But, with combined assets of over $360 billion dollars, we have a firm commitment to the international marketplace."

A secretary enters the room and hands April a piece of paper. It reads **"** **JACKSON** **ON LINE 2. URGENT."** She hands her a phone. April looks surprised. She nods apologetically to her guests.

"Excuse me." April picks up the receiver "Hello?"

"Hey, babe. So check this out. A man and a woman are lying in bed when the woman's husband suddenly comes home. Frightened, she tells the man he has to leave instantly through the window. He has no time to dress."

April is straight-faced, listening and trying to look as if it is important.

"Uh-hmm." April responds.

"It's raining outside. The man, running naked along the street, sees some joggers approaching."

The entire contingent of Japanese men are staring at April.

"One of the joggers calls out, _'Hey, do you always go jogging naked?'_ And the man says, _'Yes, always.'_." Jackson continues.

"Okay." April says, wondering where the phone call is going.

"And then the other jogger says, _'And do you always wear a condom?'_ The man looks down, embarrassed, and replies, _'Only when it's raining.'_."

"Well, that's just fine." April says as she squelches a smile.

"Now, just relax and have fun, okay sweetheart? It's not the end of the world if you lose the account. You've always got me."

"Thank you. I'll definitely remember that."

"See ya later, babe." Jackson says, and he hangs up the phone.

April hangs up and stares at the Japanese men. A short smile crosses her face.


	3. When Jackson Met April

It is Saturday afternoon and April is at home, unpacking their belongings. A carved wooden angel (eight feet tall) is ascending into an afternoon sky. The angel is dangling outside an open doorway high above the street. A group of workmen grab for the angel, but have difficulty bringing it in. Suddenly April steps up to the men.

"Where you guys from, the New York City Ballet?" She asks them in her signature sassy tone.

With a gutsy maneuver, April leans out over the sidewalk and tries to grab hold of the ropes. She can't reach them. Suddenly a pair of hands grabs him around the waist. He screams in horror.

"Saved your life, babe. Now you owe me your life." Jackson laughs as he pulls her back into the loft. April does not think it is funny.

"You fucking bastard! Don't do that to me you little shit! You scared me half to death!" She says trying to gain her composure back.

"Hey, anything is better than seeing this gorgeous body splattered all over the street. Here, look out."

Jackson jumps up, grabs hold of the door's top molding, and swings out over the sidewalk. April gasps. Jackson's feet push at the angel and send it swinging away and then back toward the loft. Quickly he jumps back, grabs hold of it, and brings it in. The workmen applaud. April eyes him with admiration.

"Jackson? April? Anybody home?"

April looks to Jackson.

"Lexie? Did you invite her?"

"I couldn't keep her away. I swear April, she's like a boomerang. She never disappears. We send her far away and she still manages to come back."

Lexie enters, shakes April's hand, and pats Jackson on the back.

"Hi, April. Hi, Jackson. So, how's it goin' my friends?"

Before they can answer, a workman turns to April.

"Where do you want this, mam?"

"Um…."

"In the bedroom."Jackson responds.

* * *

As the men take the angel to the bedroom, Lexie can see the newly decorated loft for the first time. It is painted now in lovely pastels. The floor, a huge gymnasium-like expanse, is lacquered with polyurethane. Furniture and boxes are piling up along the walls. Dominating the space, with a kind of surreal presence, are a large number of April and Jackson's sculptures and ceramics. There is also a vintage jukebox. Lexie is highly impressed.

"Wow!" Lexie says in awe. "The place looks great! Really great!"

"You like it, huh?"

"Like" is hardly the word. I never imagined it would be this beautiful. This is so fucking incredible!"

A mover lugs in a heavy old chair. April sees it.

"Jackson, you kept that chair? You actually kept that ugly chair?"

"What do you mean ugly? It's comfortable."

"For TV? I must agree with Jackson because I love that chair." Lexie says.

"But it's ugly. It's really ugly. Besides, it doesn't go with anything."

"It goes with me." Jackson says.

"You're right." April says with a smile on her face. "It's okay, I'll paint it."

"Wait, you'll what?" Lexie asks as April walks away from them.

Jackson pinches April's ass as she passes by him. April smiles.

* * *

Jackson, April, and Lexie are sprawled out on the floor, eating from cartons of Thai food. Beyoncé, a black and white dog, eats beside them. Unpacked boxes are scattered everywhere.

"It was the middle of December. I was sitting in my old office, the one Shephard's in. Suddenly, I heard this grown ass woman screaming. I thought someone'd been shot or something. It was freaking terrifying!" Jackson says.

"They took away my MasterCard. It was Christmas, for goodness sake." April tells them.

"She was four thousand dollars over her limit."

"Excuse me! It wasn't four thousand. And I'd already sent in the payment! You're the ones that lost it."

"She's still angry, even though she now works with us, but on a different floor." Jackson smirks while Lexie laughs.

"No I'm not." April denies.

The dog begins nibbling Jackson's food.

"Get outta here, Beyoncé! Get your own damn food, you fat ass dog!" The dog scampers away at Jackson's request.

"You should have seen her. All pink and flushed. Her skin was gorgeous, like a rose. Still is to be honest. And she's screaming, demanding to see the president. So Burke brought her to me."

"You? You weren't even a VP yet." Lexie says in disbelief.

"April didn't know that." Jackson shrugs. Lexie smiles.

"Can you believe it? And the next thing I know, she's telling me her life story. I couldn't believe it. Everything! About her farm in Ohio, how she'd just arrived in New York, how she didn't know any men in the area. And all with this Moline accent."

"What's a Moline accent?"

"The one you always slip into it when you get nervous. " _Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir. Can I fondle your ass cheeks, Sir?"_

"I wasn't nervous." April denies, blushing madly.

"Admit it. Admit it, April. Admit that to me. You liked me. You were interested." Jackson gloats.

"I thought you were cute." April bashfully admits in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Cute?" Jackson says while he is looking at Lexie. "Do you believe this? I should have been Picasso's work of art. I should have been living in Barcelona or Paris. But no, I'm moving in with a New York banker who thinks I'm cute. The abuse I endure!" Jackson says playfully.

He looks at April and grins. Lexie is staring at Jackson, obviously turned on by him. She is embarrassed when he catches her gaze and quickly looks away.


	4. Unchained Melody

April, dressed only in a T-shirt, is sitting at one of their potter's wheel throwing a series of pots. Jackson enters the studio. He is barefoot, shirtless, wearing jeans.

"What are you doing, babe?"

"I felt inspired." April shrugs.

"At 2:23 am?"

She nods and presses her hands into a pot that is forming in front of her. Jackson watches the sensual movement of April's fingers, molding and forming the clay. She is forceful, assured, gifted. The clay responds to her slightest effort. Slowly, almost unconsciously, Jackson reaches for her shoulders and begins kissing them.

"You notice Lexie's eyes today?" April asks him, somewhat annoyed. "They were all over you. That chick needs her own eye candy."

"What?" Jackson asks in disbelief. "Are you jealous? Apes, let me tell you something. She's not even looking at me. It's you she idolizes. You're everything she isn't. If you asked me what I thought about her before you asked me that question, I would have said that she has a thing for you. Like a lesbian crush on you. She doesn't see me at all. Anyway, she's not my type. Besides, Lexie just seems…..evil if you ask me."

Jackson reaches over her and gently adds his fingers to the clay. April looks up at him.

"Jackman, what are you doing?"

"Now I feel inspired."

Jackson hands dig into the clay. April smiles. Their fingers seem to dance together. After a moment, April reaches up to him, her clay-covered fingers streaking his face and curving down to his chest. Jackson grins and reaches down to her.

* * *

April watches, as Jackson walks up to the jukebox. Jackson presses two buttons on their jukebox. The mechanical arm selects a record and slowly, sensuously, lowers it to the turntable. The arm hovers over the record and then descends. It begins to play. The song is _Unchained Melody_ by the Righteous Brothers.

Jackson and April are both dancing in the middle of the dark loft. Moonlight pours through the windows and shines off the floor. Wads and wads of packing paper swirl sensuously around their feet. April then runs her fingers down Jackson's naked back.

 _'This moment is sweet and erotic. I am going to marry this woman.'_ Jackson thinks to himself.

Jackson slowly draws his fingers down over April's face, gently caressing her forehead, her eyes, and her lips. Jackson slides his hands under April's T-shirt, slowly moving them toward her nipples. He notices that April's breathing slows down a bit. They dance silently, her brown hair swaying in the soft light. The sounds of their bare feet on the highly polished floor can barely be heard. Sensuously, April's shirt lifts above her navel as Jackson presses into her. Their stomachs touch and part and touch again. He bites his lip. Jackson eyes his girlfriend's moonlit form as he strokes her chest, slowly moving his fingers down her torso, around the curve of her hips, and then digging into the back of her jeans. Jackson leans into April and nips at her neck. April stops dancing.

Her eyes close.

He stands absolutely still.

Jackson's hands move to her backside.

He pulls her closer.

"Jackson?"

"April?"

"Make love to me. Right here, right now."

* * *

Jackson and April are making love on the living room carpet. Paper and packing materials crumble beneath them and scatter across the floor. For all their sensuality, it is their hands and eyes that are most expressive, revealing a tenderness that is deeply moving. Their lovemaking is full of love.

"I love you. I love you so much, Jackson." April says in between Jackson's thrusts.

"Ditto." Jackson says in a deep sultry voice.

The song ends. The jukebox arm retracts and gently slides the record back into its slot.

* * *

Jackson and April are lying together on their bed, silently in their bedroom. April gazes at him.

"Babe?"

"Yeah, April?"

"What's the matter?"

"The matter?" Jackson repeats.

"Something's wrong. I can tell. What's the matter with you babe?"

"Nothing... really." Jackson says unsure of himself.

"You're worried, aren't you? About moving in together?"

"No. Not all, babe. I can't wait to build our lives in this place, together."

"Then what? Is this about the promotion you're up for?" April wonders. Jackson sighs.

"I don't know. A lot of things. I just don't want the bubble to burst. Usually, whenever something good happens to me I'm just afraid I'm going to lose it. Now everything just seems…."

"Crazy." April finishes.

"You know what?" Jackson asks while he gently strokes April's head after she puts her head on his shoulder.

"What?"

"Can you tell me that three word, eight letter phrase? Please?"

"I love you. I really love you."

"Ditto, and I hope that you'll never forget it."

April smiles and strokes Jackson's cheek.

"Ditto, Jackman."

Suddenly the T.V. blares into the room. Jackson jumps up, grabbing the remote control unit from under his buttocks. April laughs as he turns the sound down. The news is on and they are showing the remains of an airline disaster. Jackson stares at the tube.

"Oh God. Another one. Every time?"

"Don't watch that stuff. I don't want you to worry about anything, Jackman."

He motions to wait. Dead bodies litter the screen.

 _"...It is estimated that 34 people died in the crash, the second in less than two weeks."_ The news correspondent reports.

The T.V. goes OFF. Jackson, confused, spins around. April is holding the remote control. She nods for him to lie down.

"Maybe I should cancel my L.A. trip... These things always happen in threes. Besides, anything could happen to you when I'm not here when you go back to work at the bank. More than that, I have a bad feeling something is going to happen."

"Threes? Jackson, get serious. Besides, you lead a charmed life, because I'm in it."

"Yeah. So did they." Jackson says sadly.

"Babe, don't worry so much. You know that I've always had faith in your decisions."

Jackson looks at April for a moment and then back at the screen.

"Amazing, huh?" Jackson says as he snaps his fingers. "Just like that. Blackout."

April hugs him.


	5. Sleuthing

A few days later, Jackson is sitting at his computer at the bank. The address book with his access codes is sitting open beside him. He seems perplexed by something happening on his screen. After pushing a series of buttons and getting the same response, he whacks the computer on the side. Lexie, walking in the door, sees her. Jackson looks up sheepishly.

"A glitch. What's up?"

"The William Thorpe and Nicole Herman accounts. I can't get in. Your MAC code doesn't work."

"I changed it."

"Why? What's up?" Lexie wonders.

"Nothing. I just want to nose around a bit... Can you keep your mouth shut?"

"Yeah, sure. Tell me, what's going on."

"I think I've stumbled onto something."

"What kind of something are you referring to, Jack?"

"You didn't hear it from me at all: There's too much money in these accounts."

"Too much money? That's ridiculous." Lexie scoffs.

"Well, it might be ridiculous but that's what I'm seeing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yup."

"How could there be too much money in those accounts?"

"That's what I keep asking myself."

"It must be the computer."

"I've been checking, but I don't know." Jackson sighs.

"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Fixit. Let me try." She hits the computer like Jackson did and laughs. "Come on, move over. Let me see what I can do."

"Not yet. I'm gonna dig around a bit. Thanks for offering though. I really appreciate it."

"Okay, okay. Just call me when you're ready for help." Lexie says while she is heading for the door. "So, what are you and April doing tonight?"

"We're going to the theatre. She wants to see Macbeth at the Spring Street Repertory. Care to save me?"

"Nah. Men in tights aren't a turn on for me."

"You are such a liar. Maybe it'll kill me." Jackson jokes.

Lexie winces. Jackson smiles.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry this chapter is a week late, y'all. I was in the hospital and I'm just recovering. For that, I'll post two chapters. Hope you're all doing well!

 **PS:** To the commentator who asked me that question about this story, you are totally right. It's a favorite of mine, and you're awesome for recognizing that!


	6. Time's Up!

Jackson and April are sitting in the fifth row of a crowded auditorium. He is sound asleep while April is enjoying __Macbeth.__

"Wow." April softly says to herself with her tears falling down her face.

Jackson begins to snore. April grabs his nose.

"Wha-" Jackson says as he jerks awake.

April grins.

Bright marquee lights sparkle overhead as Jackson and April exit the theater. It is a beautiful brisk night.

"I loved it." Jackson says.

"I could tell that you __really__ loved it." April playfully snorts.

Jackson smiles and he squeezes her arm. They walk silently down the dark street, heading toward their loft. The pavement is full of shadows.

"Did I tell you what Leah Murphy said?" April continues.

"Six whole times." Jackson responds.

"Six? No I didn't. Jackson, don't be so blasé. I'll have two major pieces in the show. __The New York Times__ reviews her gallery all the time. This could be huge for me." April says, slightly freaking out.

"April, listen to me sweetheart. __The__ __New York Times__ critic is some frustrated little bitch, who is a so called critic with pimples on her ass, who probably flunked out of art school. Who cares what __The New York Times__ thinks?"

"Eight million readers, that's who, you bank worker."

"Stop worrying about it, babe. You only work part time at the bank and you're an artist at heart. Your work's beautiful. That's a fact, April. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks."

He can tell from the expression on April's face that it does. Jackson puts his arm around her. April nestles close to him. Then, suddenly, April stops and looks at Jackson.

"I want to marry you, Jackson."

"What?" Jackson asks, taken aback by April's statement.

"I've been thinking about it for days. Actually I've been thinking about it for a long time now. And you know what? I want to do it. I want to jump in, whole hog and…" Jackson stops talking as he sees the look on April's face. "What is that look for?"

They both stop walking. April stares at him.

"I just…..It's just been so long since... I mean, you never wanted to talk about it at all." Says a shocked Jackson, who has been considering this decision for quite sometime himself.

There is a long pause before they continue to walk.

"Do you love me, Jackson?"

"What makes you think I don't? Of course I do!"

"Then why don't you ever say it?"

"What do you mean I don't ever say it? I feel like I say it all the damn time and I-"

"Stop right there, Jackson." April says as they stop walking. "You don't say those eight-three lettered words to me at all. You always say ditto to me and that's not the same thing at all."

"It's not that I don't love you, April because I really do. People say I love you all the time and it doesn't mean anything. Trust me, I would know because I've been burned before." Jackson says dejectedly.

"Sometimes I need to hear it, Jackson. I know you've been through hell and back at all those girls, and that you don't feel like you deserve any kind of love, but I want to help you through all of those insecurities because I love you so fucking much. I want to be able to do that for you as your wife." April reassures him as she puts her head on Jackson's shoulder.

They start walking in silence again.

A few steps later, Jackson stops and stares at April. He pauses quietly. He is about to speak when a man's face emerges from the shadows behind him. April gasps. Jackson spins around.

An intense looking man is standing in the darkness between two buildings. He stares at the couple for a moment and then steps onto the sidewalk. Both Jackson and April stand motionless. The man hesitates and then begins walking the other way. April exhales a deep breath. Jackson takes April's arm and they continue briskly down the street. Suddenly they both hear footsteps coming after them.

"What should we do?" Asked a frightened April.

"Let me handle this." Jackson tells her. Jackson stops abruptly and turns around. A gun is staring him in the face. April screams.

"Your wallet!" The mugger demands. "Give it."

April waits a beat.

"Here." Jackson tells the mugger.

"Jackson, no." April says, trying to sound brave.

Jackson reaches for his jacket. The mugger grabs his wrist and then carefully pulls the wallet out himself.

"Take the money. Just leave the wallet, and my..."

He swipes Jackson across the head. April screams. The mugger whacks her across the face. Jackson explodes, plowing into the mugger with all his might.

"Jackson, No!" April tells as she tries to get Jackson off the mugger.

There is a wild, all out brawl. Jackson fights like a mad man. Suddenly the gun goes off. The mugger panics and takes off running. Someone charges after him.


	7. Ghost

"No. No, no, no! April!" Jackson sobs, but he fails terribly at trying to keep his calm.

April and the mugger run down the dark street, but the mugger is already a full block ahead and disappears into the shadows. April gives up. Slowly she turns and begins walking back toward Jackson. Jackson dimly at the end of the block as April approaches. He is screaming. Frightened, April calls out.

"Jackson!"

He doesn't answer her.

"Jackson?"

Still no response.

April tenses and starts running toward him. She is just three feet away when suddenly she stops. An expression of pure terror overwhelms her face.

Jackson is drenched in April's blood. His eyes are beyond glazed, past the verge of shock. Panting, she stoops down to the curb as he grabs hold of something lying on the ground and pulls it toward him.

It is April's dead body he is holding in his arms.

April's ghostly form is still solid to all appearances, stands beside Jackson. His eyes are awash in horror and confusion. He seems unable to move. The look on his face as the full impact of his situation dawns in his eyes.

Suddenly she lets out a blood-curdling scream.

"NO!" April jumps down toward her body and reaches out to grab a hold of her motionless form. Her hands make a strange sound as they pass right though it. It is terrifying. April jumps up, crazed, frenzied, and begins circling Jackson. It is as though she is trying to undo what has been done.

"THIS CANNOT BE FUCKING HAPPENING! IT'S NOT FUCKING HAPPENING!" April shouts, but Jackson cannot hear her at all.

She reaches out to Jackson for help. Her hand cuts through Jackson's shoulder. She screams. People in the area are running down the street. The sound of people screaming in terror can be heard in the distance. Two men run toward April. She yells out at them.

"Help me!" April sobs, but nobody can hear her nor see her at all.

They run right through her. She gasps in stunned terror. April watches helplessly as they reach her lifeless body. Jackson looks up and begins screaming hysterically. One of the men grabs him as the other goes for April's wrist. There is no sign of life.

The first man holds Jackson back as his friend stoops down and begins some form of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. There is no response. April bends down, trying desperately to help. It is a futile gesture.

"Do it! Do it! Please do it!" April begs them as she's regretting the decision of leaving their phones at home.

The man who's working on April, bangs on his chest. Blood gushes from the wound. Jackson recoils. He bangs again.

* * *

 _April shoots up in bed, panting. It is dark. She stares around the loft in sudden confusion. With a lurch she flicks on night light. Jackson_ _is lying beside her as her head buried beneath a pillow. April seems stunned._

 _"Jackson? Jackson!" Tears stream down her face. Jackson stirs._

 _"April? What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Jackson_ _asks her worriedly._

 _"Jackson!" April is so relieved to hear her voice that she can hardly breathe._

 _"What is it, honey?" Jackson, groggy, tries to sit up. April reaches out for him. As April turns around, she sees a skeletal version of Jackson's head staring back at him. It speaks._

 _"What is it, honey?" Skeletal Jackson_ _asks, mocking her._

 _April bolts upright, screaming. It is a scream so consumed by terror that one fears it will never stop._

* * *

 _April is asleep in bed. She is thrashing at his pillow and moaning. Suddenly, a hand reaches out and touches her shoulder. April jumps straight up in bed and kicks wildly at the sheets._

* * *

 **April's P.O.V.**

Jackson is sitting on the bed looking at me, he's afraid. I stare down at him. He is breathing heavily, not trusting his own senses. His hands clutch at the wall.

"What's happening to me?!" I ask him. Before he can answer me, something happens. Suddenly, a brilliant white light shoots into the room as a host of glowing forms, radiating an intense inner light, float before me. A blinding tunnel spirals in an infinite vortex behind them. I am in awe but I am also confused. I could sense that the light is enchanting me. The entire room begins to disappear in the light. The next thing I know, Jackson screams.

* * *

"Don't leave me. I need you, April. I love you!" Jackson sobs in terror.

April turns and sees Jackson, only she is not in the bed. To her amazement, she is on the street, too, still bathed in the soothing light. Frightened, she calls out to him.

"Jackson!"

He does not hear her. She calls again.

"Jackson." April sobs.

There is no response. April, deeply troubled, hesitates for a moment. She is very torn between Jackson and the light. Then, in a painful, but conscious gesture, she turns from the light walks toward Jackson. At that instant, the light behind her disappears with the sound of a pneumatic door closing. There is a sense of terrible finality as the tunnel evaporates into the void. April is left on the dark pavement. She stands there a moment, as if in shock, and then begins running towards Jackson. An ambulance is rounding the corner.

* * *

Swirls of light speed toward the ambulance as car headlights and streetlamps merge in a wild dizzying rush. The sirens wail into the night.

April's body is lying in the back of the ambulance as a paramedic applies electric paddles to her chest in an effort to save her. After a moment, she looks up at Jackson. April can tell from the painful expression in Jackson's eyes that it is hopeless. April yells.

"Please, don't stop! I'm not dead!"

Jackson, kneeling over April's body, grabs her and begins to cry in long terrible sobs.


	8. Hospital

A doctor, comforting a shaken up Jackson, accompanies him from one of the emergency operating rooms and leads him through a pair of doors into a separate waiting area. There are policemen and two detectives who stand up and approach him. April doesn't want Jackson to go and begins to follow him, but then seems torn, afraid to leave her body. She turns back just as her corpse, covered in a green sheet, is being wheeled into the corridor by a mortician, who parks April's corpse alongside the wall. April is stunned and inconsolable as she sits down beside it. A middle aged man approaches April and joins him on the bench. He begins talking.

"So, what happened to you, sweetheart?"

April is startled, amazed that the man can see her at all.

"What?" She asks softly.

"You're new, huh? I can tell." He tells her kindly.

"Are you talking to me?" April asks him, totally confused.

"Relax, honey. It ain't like before, you know. It's a whole new ball-a-wax."

"Who-who are you?"

"I'm waiting for my sister. She's in 4C. Cardiac wing. She's fighting it."

"Oh."

The man suddenly up, and sticks his head into the green sheet covering April's body. Her head disappears. April is terrified.

"Shot, huh?" He continues. "That'll do it every time. Poor thing. Well, get used to it. You could be here a long time."

April groans.

"I'll tell you a secret." The old man tells April while he leans in close to her. "Doors ain't as bad as you think. Zip zap. They ain't nothin' at all. You'll see. You'll catch on."

Suddenly there is a loud commotion and see several physicians are operating furiously on an old man lying on the table beside them. It is a life threatening situation and they seem to be failing.

"Poor fellow." The man says shaking his head sympathetically. "He ain't gonna make it. I've seen it like a million times. He's a goner. See? Here they come. Lucky bastard. Could have been the other ones. You never know."

Before April can understand what is happening, the entire room fills with a strange preternatural light. Suddenly she looks up and she freezes. The amorphous forms she saw immediately right after she died are floating down through the ceiling and reaching for the body, currently on the operating table. They are emitting a powerful light.

"Hurry, we're losing him!" One of the doctor's says.

"See? What'd I tell you, honey? Bingo!" The man tells April.

The glowing forms take hold of the man's spirit and help extract it from his body. His physical form changes instantly from a solid object into an ethereal substance. April stares in amazement as the strange beings carry the spirit upward. They evaporate through the ceiling.

"He's gone." Another doctor says.

The light in the room grows dull instantly. Three nurses cover up dead man with a dark sheet as the OR doctors step away. April turns to the sweet old man.

"Who are you? What's happening...?" She asks the old man, scared.

The man isn't there. A young Candy Striper approaches the gurney with April's body and begins pushing it toward the elevator. April jumps in front of him.

"No!" April yells, but it's to no avail.

* * *

 **APRIL'S P.O.V.**

 _As the stretcher begins to roll right through me, the penetration of my physical space is horrifying to me. I stand, almost paralyzed, as the body of the Candy Striper intersects with my body. It is a stunning moment of extraordinary strangeness as I witness the atoms and molecules of the Candy Striper 's body passing through mine. It is like a glimpse of ultimate chaos, the universe within. Then, in a flash, the Candy Striper has passed through, but I'm still shaking. I stare up at the ceiling._

 _"Oh God, help me!" I scream, but it's useless._

 _As the ceiling lights and acoustical tiles begin to blur, the hallway grows dark. It is as though I'm blacking out. Fast._


	9. Cemetary

Images slowly begin to emerge out of the blackness. It takes a moment for April to realize that they are people from her funeral. There are rows of mourners as seen from April's point of view. At the moment, she seems to be floating among them. She could hear snippets of conversations. It all seems strangely odd and disjointed. Time seems unfixed, malleable. She can see a minister standing beside the grave.

"As we say farewell to our friend April Kepner, we are reminded of her eternal kindness, her boundless generosity, her quirkiness, her buoyancy of spirit..."

April tunes him out. April can see Jackson's associates from the bank, who are among the mourners, along with her art pals.

"All that we treasure: our friends, our very close loved ones, our body, our mind, are but on loan to us. In the end, we must surrender them all. We are all travelers on the same road which leads to the same end." The minister continues.

April notices a woman in a beautiful black dress comforting one of the mourners. The woman looks up at her, smiles, and waves. April is surprised. April looks behind herself, but no one is there. As she turns back, the woman is walking away. She appears just like any normal person until she approaches a large, marble headstone and passes right through it. April is very shocked.

"As our loved one enters eternal life, let us remember that love is eternal, that although we will miss her, our love will light the void and dispel the darkness." The minister continues.

Suddenly, April spots him.

"Jackson."

April notices that Jackson does not respond. Catherine, Jackson's mother, leans over to him, consoling him. More tears form in Jackson's eyes, and April's heart breaks. A hand reaches out to give him tissue. Jackson looks up. It is Lexie. She gives Jackson her hand. He squeezes it with affection.

"...and into Your hands we commend his spirit. May April rest in peace. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen." The minister concludes.

The casket is lowered into the ground. Jackson approaches the grave. He is a little unsteady. Catherine gently takes his elbow. A shovel is placed in his hands by Lexie. With great emotional effort he lifts a shovelful of dirt and tosses it onto the casket. It lands with finality. April shudders.

* * *

As people are leaving the cemetery, Jackson can hear his coworkers talking.

"What time you going back to work?"

"What's the buzz on Digital?"

"It's sad…"

"He was so young..."

"How's your new Porshe?"

"Going away this weekend?"

Jackson simply shakes his head, both in anger and in sadness.

* * *

April is desperately alone. Down the hill, people are getting back into their cars. April can see Jackson and his mother being let into a limousine. April stands there staring at her own black and gold casket, grieving. Then, after a moment, she turns away. Separating from her body, from her own grave site, April runs after Jackson.


	10. Alone

Jackson is sitting on the couch in the middle of the loft, with his tears silently falling down his cheeks. He is surrounded by friends and a few well wishers. A young girl, April's niece, cuddles in his lap. People are eating and milling around.

"I love you, Uncle Jackson." She says before kissing his tear stained cheeks.

"And I love you too, son. Always remember that I love you, Jack." Robert tells him, kissing the top of his head.

"I love you too, dad." He tells Robert. "And I love you too, sweetheart." He tells his niece, kissing the top of her head.

April, standing alone in a corner, watches the little scene between Robert, Jackson, and her niece. In the midst of all the activity she is lost and alone.


	11. Pottery

Raw clay on a potter's wheel spins hypnotically, sensuously. Jackson's wet hands press in, shaping it, molding it. A little while later, a bowl begins to appear. April is sitting on the floor behind him, knees pressed to her chest, rocking aimlessly.

Jackson looks away from the bowl he is forming. It distorts and bends. Angry, he digs his finger into it. The bowl disintegrates. Tears form in his eyes. Beyoncé jumps up on the bench beside him. Jackson stares sadly around the room. Quietly, he begins talking to herself, to the air.

"Oh God, April..."

April looks up.

"I picked up your clothes from the cleaners this morning. I don't know why." Jackson continues. "Mr. Herman? Yeah, you remember him right? Well, he said to tell you hello. I broke into tears. Can you believe that I broke into tears? I even found my birthday present. A pregnancy test. I can't believe that we were going to be parents. Parents! We were going to be a happy family and…..It's so hard..." Jackson sobs.

April walks over to Jackson. Desperate for contact, she reaches out to touch his cheek, but then hesitates. She pulls back.

"I think about you every minute. It's like you're still here, like I can feel you, April. When I close my eyes, I can see your face everywhere. When I lick my lips, I remember tasting your beautiful smile. Whenever I saw your name, my heart always use to race. It still does to tell you the truth. Now that I can't read your thoughts….." Jackson starts to sob even harder.

April stares at him, hoping, wondering.

"Empty. I feel so empty without reading your thoughts." Jackson finishes.

"I am here, Jackman. I am." April says, holding Jackson's hands.

Suddenly, as if hearing April's voice, the dog begins to growl. Jackson spins around. The dog scans the room. Unexpectedly, April's and the dog's eyes meet. With a wild loud screech, the dog jumps from the bench and takes off running towards Jackson's bedroom. April instantly recoils. Jackson snaps out of his daze and stands up.

"Frank, what's wrong? Frank? Where did you run of to buddy?" He asks, wiping away his tears.

The cat is nowhere to be seen. All of a sudden, Jackson freezes. April is standing right beside him. It is almost as though he senses April's presence.

"April?" Jackson whispers. He holds very still for a moment, hopeful. "What a crazy dog." Jackson says before getting up from his work area. "I'm so stupid."

April watches breathlessly, loving him, wanting him. Then quietly, hopefully, she reaches out. It is a useless gesture. In a moment of great poignancy, Jackson shakes his head and walks right through her. April remains the room, all alone.


	12. Memories

April stands in the corner of a large, walk-in closet, watching as Jackson goes through her belongings. Boxes, scattered underfoot, are filling up with April's life's possessions. Jackson reaches for a shirt.

"Wait, Jackman. Not that one. That's my favorite!"

Jackson tosses the shirt into a box and then takes down a sweater. It is obviously handmade, about four sizes too big. April recognizes it. It is a gray sweater that April "borrowed" from Jackson.

"That is a great sweater." April says absently.

Jackson holds the sweater tenderly and presses it to his cheek. After a moment he puts it back. Then, in a surprising outburst, Jackson cries out and begins flailing at the shelves. Everything comes flying off. April reaches out to console him.

"Please, Jackson, don't." A heartbroken April tells him.

Unexpectedly, Lexie comes rushing into the room. She takes hold of Jackson and sits him on the bed.

"Thank God you are here, man. Say something. Anything. Please. Help him, Lexie. Please." April begs him.

"I know, April. I know. It's hard. It's very hard." Lexie says hugging Jackson.

"Oh good. That's really good. What's next?" April asks sarcastically as she rolls her eyes.

* * *

Jackson and Lexie are standing over the kitchen table folding piles of April's clothes and placing them into boxes, which are being donated. As Jackson lifts one of April's jackets, something falls from a side pocket. It is his small black leather address book.

April stares at it with recognition. Lexie sees the book fall and stoops to pick it up but Jackson gets it first.

"My address book." Jackson says. "I was wondering where that was."

"Well, you always did over work yourself at times. Besides, you always managed to misplace it." Lexie tells him.

Jackson skims through it a moment, but the memories it evokes are too powerful for him after he sees one of the pages that April wrote on. He places it carefully into a box labeled _"April's Things - Valuable"_ and continues packing. He finds the old jar with the penny in it. It's marked _"For Luck"_. He holds it tenderly for a moment and then places it on the nightstand beside the bed.

Lexie discovers some old ticket stubs in another of April's jackets.

She examines them.

"Demi World Tour. Times Union Center. Albany, '14. Should I toss 'em?" Lexie asks

"No!" Jackson says. "That was almost a fun concert."

"Jackson, we hated that concert. In fact, we hate her attitude, remember?" April says.

He takes the stubs and lovingly puts them in the box. April groans.

"It was the first time I told her that I loved her in another language." Jackson says fondly.

A few minutes later, Lexie finds a half used package of Mike and Ike's. Jackson takes them from his hand and puts them in the box, too.

"Oh, you want to save those?"

"Yup." Jackson says.

"Mike and Ike's? Really, Jackson? Really? What the fuck are you doing Jackson?" April wonders while she shakes her head.

Jackson just stares for a moment.

"I miss her so much, Lexie."

Lexie comes over and takes his hand.

"I know. I miss April too. We all do."

Jackson buries his head on Lexie's shoulder. Lexie strokes his hair.

* * *

Lexie lifting a pile of boxes and carrying them to the door. Suddenly Jackson yells out.

"Wait. Wait. Lexie! Not that one!"

He hurries over and pulls the _"Valuable"_ box from the stack in his arms. He looks at it with surprise.

"Oh, shit. I'm so fucking sorry. I don't know how that got in there." Lexie says as she turns to the door and then back to Jackson.

"Hey, Jack."

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you come with me for a little while? It's like summer outside."

"No." Jackson says frightfully.

"Just for a stroll. It'd be good to get out, if only for a little while."

"I can't do it Lexie." Jackson says as he rapidly shakes his head in disagreement, turning away from Lexie.

Lexie, annoyed, walks over to him.

"Jackson... you're not the one who died!" Lexie snaps.

Jackson stops and looks at Lexie. She has struck a cord within Jackson. He punches the spot on the right side of Lexie, hard, creating a hole in the wall.

"Whoa."

"Shit." Jackson says. "I'm so sorry, Lexie."

"It's ok." Lexie says sympathetically.

After a moment Jackson nods his head.

"You know what? You're right. Just a short walk."

"That's my boy."

Before April even understands what is happening, they are exiting the loft. April jumps up and runs after them.

"Hey, Jackson! Wait! Lexie!"

The door slams shut. April is locked inside. Frightened and desperate, she rushes for the door knob. Her hand sinks through it. There is a strange sound, like electric shock, as it penetrates the metal and wood. Frightened, April yanks it back.

April circles the space several times and then returns to the door. Clenching her teeth, she decides that she's going to reach out to the door, again. As her hand pushes up against it, she figures that one can sense that she experiences a subtle resistance. The hairs on the back of her hand vibrate as her ghostly form presses into it. April can sense fear as her entire arm disappears from her view. The grating electrical shock shudders up her spine once again.

The sight of her amputated limb is unsettling but April does not pull back. Slowly she edges in and presses her face into the molecules of the wood. As atoms and electrons spin past her at frightening speed, there is a sense of a universe in total chaos. Terrifying sounds charge right through her ghostly body at an alarming rate. April starts pulling back from the door. She notices that she is trembling very badly.

* * *

It's been over an hour and Jackson still hasn't come back from his walk with Lexie yet. April is now sitting in a corner singing quietly to herself.

 _If I had no more time_  
 _No more time left to be here_  
 _Would you cherish what we had'_  
 _Was it everything that you were looking for?_  
 _If I couldn't feel your touch_  
 _And no longer were you with me_  
 _I'd be wishing you were here_  
 _To be everything that I'd be looking for_  
 _I don't wanna forget the present is a gift_  
 _And I don't wanna take for granted the time you may have here with me_  
 _'Cause Lord only knows another day is not really guaranteed_

 _So every time you hold me_  
 _Hold me like this is the last time_  
 _Every time you kiss me_  
 _Kiss me like you'll never see me again_  
 _Every time you touch me_  
 _Touch me like this is the last time_  
 _Promise that you'll love me_  
 _Love me like you'll never see me again_

April stops, realizing the last line of the song. She sits silently, staring at the wall. Suddenly, there is a strange sound at the door. April's eyes shoot up. The door begins to open. April stands up. Her face begins to tighten. Se knows instantly that something is wrong. Her eyes quickly fill with a fury no one has ever seen before. The Mugger, the man who killed April, is entering the loft. He has a key in his hand and puts it in his jacket pocket. April is stunned. The Mugger locks the door.

April's blood boils and she starts to goes wild. April shoots up from her spot, walks towards the man and then punches and kicks at the man with all her might, attacking him unceasingly, but with no effect. April's hands and feet pass right through him.

"You motherfucking bastard! What the hell are you doing here? What are you doing?" April asks him.

The Mugger, unaware that anything is going on, glances around nervously as he moves through the vast space. Entering the bedroom, the Mugger goes to the dresser and he quickly examines the drawers. He is very neat, careful to leave no sign that he was there. He seems to be looking for something crucial, but he cannot find it.

Suddenly a key is turning in the front door. The Mugger seems startled. He dashes from the bedroom and hides quickly behind one of April's large sculptures. He can hear the door open. Jackson is standing there. April goes crazy.

"Jackson, no! Get out! Please!" April warns, but to no avail.

Jackson closes the door and locks it shut. April freezes as Jackson heads for the master bedroom. Jackson walks right past the Mugger. To April's horror, Jackson suddenly stops and turns to look around. There is a curious expression on his face. Seeing nothing, he continues through the loft.

The Mugger pulls out his gun. April looks on in absolute terror. Jackson's white and purple checkered shirt hits the floor as he begins to remove his clothes. He then turns on the radio. April doesn't know what to do. The Mugger seems excited by Jackson's semi-nudity. He begins skirting the edges of the loft, moving toward the bedroom. April is crazed.

 _'Man, this guy can make straight guys like me go gay. What is his workout regimen?'_ The Mugger wonders.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Beyoncé appears at the Mugger's feet. April's eyes light up. She drops to his knees, crawls over to her, glares into her eyes, and screams.

"MOVE!" April screams at the cat.

Frank suddenly screeches and jumps straight up. She bites the mugger's face, ripping into the flesh near his eye. Blood appears. The mugger sees it dripping through his fingers. The sight of it upsets him.

"Aw shit!" He says to himself. He grabs the dog angrily by the neck. It whimpers. Jackson, in his boxer briefs, peers from the bedroom.

"Frank, what's wrong buddy?"

The Mugger holds the cat's mouth shut. Seeing and hearing nothing, Jackson steps back into the bedroom. The Mugger takes the cat and throws it across the floor. Holding his eye, he gets up and rushes for the exit. April runs after him, but the door closes before she can get through. He is left inside.

April stares at the closed door in a wild panic. She doesn't know what to do at all. Then, summoning all of his courage, she takes a blind, running slow motion leap and charges through it.

* * *

 **April's P.O.V.**

There is a brief sense of passing through a molecular force field, a miniature universe inside the door. As I emerge from the door and land on the other side, all the sensations I felt before are totally nonexistent. I am excited to have survived this challenge and I am very pleased with myself. Game On!

Game on!


	13. Trains And Such

The Mugger steps out onto the sidewalk and hurries toward the subway. A patch of sleeve soaks up the blood from his eye. April starts after the man but she instantly freezes. She sees the hordes of people that are currently crowding the sidewalk. The crush of humanity is frightening. Two lovers, holding hands, are coming right at her. Before April is able to move, she can hear the sound of their arms cutting through her ghostly form. April tries instinctively to dodge the crowds but people approach her from all sorts of angles.

She hears a baby carriage roll through her feet and she nearly falls over trying to avoid it. Her instincts will not let go.

"He just found out that I was pregnant. That's what all that space was for." April says to herself.

A barrage of images and sounds assault April. It is more than she can handle. Still, she refuses to give up. April stays close to the mugger.

"I need to avenge my death. It's either now or never."

The mugger heads down a flight of steps into the mezzanine level of the New York Subway station. April quickly follows. At the mugger reaches the platform, a train arrives and he steps onto a crowded subway car. April follows and stands near a corner of the train watching him.

Suddenly, April notices that something odd is happening. One of the riders at the other end of the car is walking toward her. As he approaches the mugger, he does not stop, but passes right through him. It takes April a moment to realize what is happening, but then it is too late.

With unholy fury the new ghost charges into April. The attack is so unexpected and ferocious that April has no sense of how to defend herself.

"Like trains?!" The new ghost asks.

With unexpected power, the Ghost grabs hold of April and slams her into the subway door. April's head plows right through it. April's head is sticking outside of the car as the subway tunnel rushes past her. There is a panicked look on her face. The look intensifies as she turns and sees another train barreling down on her.

April's body inside the car still struggling with the subway ghost as the other train shoots by the window. With a huge gasp, April shoots back into the car, and wrests herself free of the ghost's hold. The ghost flies after her, screeching. April surges through the door at the end of the train and finds herself on the bridge between the subway cars. The subway ghost stares at her through the window with a wild, insane look.

"Stay off! This is mine! Mine!" The ghost yells at April.

With shocking impact, the Ghost's fist goes flying into the window. To April's terror and amazement, the window shatters into a several pieces. The ghost instantly smiles with a menacing look. Passengers scream and April dives for cover. April stares at the broken glass with fascination and confusion. Suddenly, the train moves from the darkness of the tunnel into broad daylight. The train stops. April sees the Mugger exiting the train and frantically rushes after him.


	14. 303 Prospect Place

**A Big Thank You To The Guest Who Posted A Comment. You Truly Rock!** 😊

* * *

April follows the mugger down a long covered staircase to the street. The mugger heads toward 303 Prospect Place. The streets are lined with old apartment buildings. Many windows are boarded up and several buildings are clearly dilapidated. April sees two men standing on the corner, slamming a piece of heavy machinery onto the pavement.

April hears Gospel music coming from a _"storefront church"_ and notices a sign, _"SISTER Cristina, MEDIUM, SPIRIT READER, ADVISOR." Contact the dearly departed. $20.00"."_ She looks up to a third story window and sees a similar sign with day-glow arrows pointing to the entrance on the street. She seems curious, but then realizes that the mugger is nearly halfway down the block. She turns and rushes after him.

* * *

April and the mugger approach a tenement building at 303 Prospect Place.

April follows the Mugger into the building and watches as he opens the mail box for APT. 4D. The name scribbled across it is Mark Sloan. There's no mail.

"Dammit!" Mark says before he closes the mailbox.

"Fucking loser." April snorts.

* * *

April enters Mark's apartment. It is a squalid affair. Peeled paint chips litter the floor. The bed is unmade. Vodka bottles and bags of pretzels are on his bed. Mark pulls open a drawer in a small nightstand and drops in the keys to Jackson's loft. April sees Jackson's wallet. His driver's license, bank ID, and a photo of her and Jackson are there, too. Furious, April lunges for Brandon but then holds her punch, knowing it will have no effect.

"God this fucking sucks!" April says, completely frustrated.

She suddenly turns instead to a window and, like the ghost on the subway, smashes it with her fist.

Nothing happens.

"Damn! I need to learn how that ghost did that."

Mark dials the phone. Someone comes on the line.

"Who are you calling you fucking snake?" April asks him.

"He came home…..I couldn't get it….Give me a couple of days….I'll go back."

He hangs up. April stares at him in wild confusion.

"Get what? Who the fuck are you? What were you doing at Jackson's? What the hell's going on?"

Willie grabs a bottle of wine from inside the nightstand and lies down. After a moment he reaches over and takes Jackson's photo from the drawer. He studies it slowly.

"I can't believe I'm admitting this, but he is a good looking guy. I need his regimen."

April stands by the door in a state of motionless rage. There is nothing that she can do.

"What do you want from us? Stay away from him! You hear me?! STAY AWAY FROM JACKSON, OR YOU WILL REGRET IT!" April promises.


	15. Cristina

April storms down the street. Her movements seem undirected, utterly aimless. April knows that she is definitely seething on the inside. Suddenly April looks up. An old bag lady is walking down the street talking loudly to a short man tagging along beside her. As they approach a street pole, the bag lady swerves to the side. The short man, however, walks right through it. Passersby's laugh at the old lady, who has been talking to herself. April, unsettled, rushes away.

As April rounds a corner, a sudden blast of Gospel music explodes out of nowhere. April jumps into the street, gasping. A phonograph needle scratches across a spinning record and the music abruptly stops. A woman's voice booms out.

"Sorry 'bout that. Carry on."

A pair of loudspeakers in a storefront window is quiet. The music blares out once more and sounds of loud gospel music fill the street. April looks up. He is back in front of the storefront church with the sign for SISTER CRISTINA, MEDIUM, SPIRIT READER, ADVISOR, hanging overhead. Below it is another sign. "Contact the dearly departed. $20.00".

April stares at the sign with complete curiosity. She finds the Gospel music highly compelling and soothing.

"Do I go in or should I go home to check up on Jackson?" April asks herself. After a moment's hesitation, she goes in though the open door.

"No. It's now or never."

* * *

A record player is sitting near the storefront window, a makeshift microphone placed in front of it. Several rows of folding chairs face a raised platform with nothing on it. A number of people are sitting there, mostly women. Middle aged women to be specific. For some reason, April gets the sense that this is a cross between a waiting room and a meeting hall. A dark haired Hispanic woman steps up on the platform and calls out:

"Rosa Santiago."

Mrs. Santiago tucks a Spanish paperback romance novel into her huge black purse and heads to a door at the rear of the hall. April follows after her.

Mrs. Santiago enters a dark room with a window and door leading to a side street. A paisley bedspread is tacked over the window. In the center of the room is a round seance table. Two siblings, Meredith (32), and Alex (32), are standing beside an open closet. It is empty.

"Please be seated." Alex tells Mrs. Santiago.

Mrs. Santiago sits at the table. She seems apprehensive.

Meredith steps into the closet and taps on each of the walls demonstrating that they are solid, through and through.

"Our sister will be with us soon." She steps back out and closes the door. Alex inserts a tape into a boom box and then steps forward.

"Sister Cristina. Grant us the gift of your all-seeing presence. Appear for us now." He turns back to the closet and opens the door. Like magic, Cristina, 32, appears standing inside. She is a Asian woman in a silver and gold tunic. The shininess of her garment makes it look like she is glowing in the dark. Mrs. Santiago is wide-eyed. April smiles as Cristina steps into the room.

"Hello. Welcome, Mrs. Santiago."

"Buenos días." She takes a twenty dollar bill from her purse and hands it to Cristina. Meredith graciously intercepts the transaction.

"I understand you are hoping to contact your husband, is that right?"

"Sí. Sí." Mrs. Santiago says, while nodding her head excitedly, slightly resembling a bobble head which makes Alex want to giggle.

"Well, if all goes well, I believe he's gonna be with us today."

"Oh, thank you, thank you." She says happily. Tears well up in her eyes. She makes the sign of the cross on herself several times.

"But there's no telling about the other world. You gotta cast out all doubt. You gotta believe. Do you believe?" Cristina asks Mrs. Santiago.

"Sí. Sí. I believe. I believe." Mrs. Santiago nods her head vigorously.

"And remember, we don't make any promises. I can phone up there till I'm blue in the face," She tells Mrs. Santiago as she points to the ceiling. "But it don't necessarily mean he's gonna be home. Those folks go shopping, they play bingo. It's just like here. You can't always get 'em."

Mrs. Santiago, utterly fascinated, nods understandingly.

"Sure lady!" April snorts.

Cristina's eyes glance up curiously for a second, as though she heard something. She looks around before she continues.

"Okay, let's get ready then."

April steps back as the siblings get up and position themselves behind Cristina. The moment feels rehearsed, theatrical. Cristina raises her hands into the air and closes her eyes. There is a hush in the room. Her body begins to tremble. Mrs. Santiago clutches her chair. Suddenly Cristina breaks out of her trance.

"Whitney Houston, we got a problem here. I don't think he's in. Wait! I'm feeling something. Did he know someone who's passed over, someone named Anna?

"No." Mrs. Santiago tells her.

"Ok, that's not the name. Mary?"

"No, that's not it either."

"Consuela?"

"No."

"Josephina?"

"No."

"Linda." Cristina asks, getting irritated.

"No."

"Maria?" Cristina asks her, totally fed up by Mrs. Santiago's answers.

"Sí, sí! His mamá. She's Maria."

"Ah! I knew it. Praise the Lord! He's with his mama I knew he was with his mama!"

"Oh my God." April says sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Cristina's eyes dart uncomfortably around the room.

"I'm afraid this is gonna be too hard. Now I got two souls I gotta contact. I don't know about that. It's difficult, you know. The pain. The effort. The abuse!" Cristina says dramatically.

"I'll pay more. How much? How much?" Mrs. Santiago asks.

"Twenty dollars." Cristina says, semi-dramatically.

"Way to go. Milk her for every penny." April says.

Cristina jumps up and stares at her siblings. They look back at her curiously. They can't figure out what's wrong. Neither can Cristina. Mrs. Santiago reaches into her purse. A twenty dollar bill changes hands. April watches, amazed at it all. Cristina sits down and goes back into her trance. Her eyeballs roll up into their sockets.

"Praise the Lord. Thank you, Alex." Meredith and Alex say.

Cristina is beginning to shake again. The two siblings grab her shoulders to keep her from falling out of the chair. Suddenly her whole body stiffens.

"Have mercy! Have mercy! Praise the Lord!" Meredith and Alex chant as if they were in church.

April chuckles, very softly.

Mrs. Santiago stares on in amazement. After a moment Cristina's body collapses in a heap. Then, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, she pulls herself up in her chair and assumes a normal pose. After several seconds to get her bearings, Cristina begins to speak. Only now she has an entirely new voice. It sounds deep and hoarse, like an old man's. For all its put on theatricality, April finds it strangely convincing.

"Welcome, Rosa Santiago. You are fortunate today. The channel is clear. Many spirits are gathering."

"Oh yeah? Where?" April asks, scanning the room.

Cristina jerks. Her eyes dart nervously around the room.

"My husband?" Mrs. Santiago asks while Cristina looks worriedly around the room.

"I can feel his vibration. Yes, yes, he is drawing toward us now. I can see him coming. He's there!" She points to a random spot in the room. Mrs. Santiago hurriedly turns to see his spirit.

"Julio! Julio! How is he? How does he look?"

"Oh, he is a very handsome man." Cristina says dreamily.

"H-handsome?" Mrs. Santiago asks, equally surprised and confused.

"I've always learned that in our Father's Kingdom, we are all handsome." Cristina reassures her.

"Oh, Julio!" Mrs. Santiago says, understandingly.

April looks on dismayed.

"He is standing before me. He is wearing…..I'll take a guess here because I can't really see what he's wearing that clearly. I think he's wearing a black suit.

"A black suit?" She wonders. April looks around the room with growing disgust. Then she leans over to Cristina and talks into her ear.

"What a crock of shit!" April sneers in Cristina's ear.

Cristina nearly falls off her chair. She spins around.

"Who's there?!" She demands. "Who is that?!"

April is stunned. Meredith and Alex look at one another in total confusion. This is obviously not part of the act. Mrs. Santiago seems frightened.

"Who is that?! Where are you?!" Cristina asks.

"Who?" April wonders. She herself is totally confused.

Cristina screams and jumps up thrashing at the air. Her knee kicks the table and sends it toppling. Mrs. Santiago is terrified.

"Julio! Julio!" Mrs. Santiago sobs.

"What's going on?" April asks.

"Get out of here! Leave me alone! Stop it!" Cristina shouts. "Where is my tequila?"

Mrs. Santiago doesn't know what to do. She begins to cry.

"Who are you talking to?" April asks Cristina.

Meredith runs up to Cristina.

"Keep her away!"

Alex looks at the empty room. Suddenly, realization dawns on April.

"Wait, are you talking to me?" April asks Cristina, very, very, shocked.

"Do something. Help me." Cristina tells Alex. Meredith just stares at Cristina. April is excited and amazed.

"I don't believe this. Hey you, lady with the mean looking face! My name is April Kepner. Can you hear me? Please tell me that you can hear me! April Kepner!"

"Stop it!" Cristina yells as she starts running around the room, panicking.

"Say my name! April Kepner! Say it!" April yells as she chases Cristina.

"Leave me alone! Stop it!" Cristina tells back at April.

"Talk to me, Cristina. Say something." Meredith tells her as she stands by the closet door.

"April Kepner!" Cristina says as she runs into the closet.

April nearly falls on her face. Meredith's eyes widen. She is more confused than ever.

"Alex!" April yells out, but it's useless. It is now obvious that only Cristina can hear her at this point.

"April Kepner?" Meredith repeats.

"Who the hell is April Kepner?"

Cristina is still hiding in the closet. It has a false panel leading to a hidden chamber on the left side and she barricades herself inside it. Meredith and Alex stand outside pulling on the handle. They seem frightened.

"Cristina! Cristina!" Meredith and Alex call out.

Cristina is rocking back and forth on the floor praying. April's feet enter the frame beside her.

"Lord, I swear, no more cheating. I promise, Lord. I don't want to go to hell. I'll do anything. I'll even stop listening to Madonna and put money in the collection box. I'll even stop drinking tequila and dancing it out! Gimme a penance. Just make this April character go away."

"Go away? Hell no. I'm stayin' right here, whether you like it or not!" April tells her.

Cristina screams, jumps back into the closet, and bolts up against the door. It tears from its hinges and falls into the seance room, nearly crushing Alex. Mrs. Santiago runs out screaming. Cristina takes one look around and collapses in a dead faint.


	16. Chats

Beads of sweat collect on Cristina's brow and cheeks. She seems feverish. Meredith and Alex are sitting beside her with damp towels nervously soaking up the perspiration. Cristina appears to be talking to herself until she hears April nearby.

"My mom has is, my grandmother, may they rest in peace, has the gift. Mom always said I had it, but I never really thought I did. She told me all about it, how it felt and all that. But now that it's been happening lately -especially today- I don't know what to do. You're scaring me to death. Please, you gotta go away, you gotta find someone else." She tells April.

Meredith and Alex look at one another with growing concern.

"Someone else? Are you outta your goddamn mind? I need your help!" April tells her.

"Oh, I'm getting there fast." Cristina says in agreement.

"Cristina-" Alex starts, but Cristina cuts him off.

"Leave me alone, Evil Spawn." Cristina says as she pushes Alex's hand.

"Nope. Not till you help me." April tells her.

"Where are you?" She asks April.

"Where? I'm right here." Alex answers her. Cristina rolls her eyes at him.

"I'm standing right beside you." April responds.

"I'm standing right beside you." Cristina mimics. Then, she pauses and looks up.

"You sound like an overly whiny white girl. Are you white?"

"What kind of question is that?" Asked a confused April. "What color do you think I am?"

"Oh God, I knew it. She's white. It couldn't be any of the fine ass red haired man or Black men. It had to be a whiny, overly chirpy white girl. Why me?" Cristina asks irritably. "And where the hell is my damn tequila?"

Alex looks at his sister and shakes his head.

"I think we outta call the doctor." Meredith tells Alex, and he nods his head.

"Listen, damn it." April starts. "You can help me. There's a man, Jackson Avery. He is in terrible danger. The man who killed me broke into our apartment. He's going to go back. You've gotta warn him."

"Now why would this Jackson of yours listen to me?"

"He has to! This man's a killer! He's got a key."

"Forget it, Kepner. I can't." Cristina says.

"It's just a phone call. You're all I've got." April begs her.

"Oh, please." Cristina says, trying to dismiss her.

"Look, I'm not leaving until you help me. I don't sleep anymore, so I can sit here day and night. I don't care how long it takes. I can either sing or talk to you forever."

Cristina gulps, a horrified expression on her face.

* * *

The telephone rings. Since I'm preparing dinner, I put down the knife and run to answer it.

"Hello."

"Hello. Um, I'm looking for a guy named Jackson . Is this Jackson speaking?

"Yes, this is he. May I ask who's calling?"

"My name is Cristina. I'm a spiritual reader and adviser." Cristina starts hesitantly. "I'm calling for a friend of yours. She ' s annoying and she asked me to call you. She said that this is very crucial. You gotta believe me. Don't be afraid."

"Who is this?" I repeat.

"I got a message from April."

"What?" I ask her, completely stunned.

"April Kepner. She asked me to call." Cristina tells me.

I slam down the receiver, panting. For several seconds I'm frozen. I literally can't move for a moment. Slowly, I walk to the couch and sits down. I am trembling.

"This is nuts. There's no such thing as a spiritual reader and advisor. Is there?" I ask myself.

* * *

Cristina hangs up the phone.

"What?" April asks her.

"What'd I tell you? He didn't believe me."

"You gotta go there."

"Look, forget it. I don't care what you do to me. I'm not going anywhere. End of discussion." She tells him, walking away from April.

April simply looks after her as Meredith and Alex simply worry about what happening to Cristina.


	17. Annoying Cristina

April is sitting on the edge of Cristina's bed, singing. It sounds like she's been singing for hours. She is very hoarse and Cristina keeps tossing and turning, annoyed by April.

 _"At first I was afraid, I was petrified_  
 _Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side_  
 _But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong_  
 _And I grew strong_  
 _And I learned how to get along_  
 _And so you're back_  
 _From outer space_  
 _I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face_  
 _I should have changed that stupid lock, I should have made you leave your key_  
 _If I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me_  
 _Go on now, go, walk out the door_  
 _Just turn around now_  
 _'Cause you're not welcome anymore_  
 _Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye_  
 _Do you think I'd crumble_  
 _Did you think I'd lay down and die?_

 _Oh no, not I, I will survive_  
 _Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive_  
 _I've got all my life to live_  
 _And I've got all my love to give and I'll survive_  
 _I will survive, hey, hey"_

Cristina bolts upright in her bed, her hands over her ears.

"Alright! Alright! Okay! Okay!" A frustrated Cristina screams. "I'll go. I'll go anywhere you want me to go. You just shut your mouth. Just don't sing anymore!"

April smiles as she sees Cristina throwing a pillow towards her.

"You know, even though you can't see me, you have good aim because you almost got me." April taunts.

"Great. Now, goodnight to you and shut the fuck up!" She yells, throwing another pillow at April.

"Thank you." April says with glee.

Cristina throws another pillow at her.


	18. Meeting Jackson

April and Cristina are sitting at the back of a crowded bus. She appears to be " _talking to herself"_ at this very moment.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this. I have got to be a crazy lady going into the city with you. I never go there. I hate going there! What the hell you doin' in my life, huh? Why me?" She asks April.

Several people move away.

"Good." Cristina says.

* * *

"Which one is it? Cristina asks irritably.

"It's the tall cream colored loft."

Cristina approaches the loft building and buzzes Jackson's apartment. She waits a few moments.

"There's nobody there." Cristina says.

"Just wait. Maybe he's in the bathroom or something. Maybe-"

"No, sir. I did what I promised. I said I'd come and I'm here. I didn't say anything about waiting."

"Just one more time. Please. It's a big place." April tells her.

Cristina turns to leave. April, desperate, starts to sing.

 _"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the_  
 _wall, ninety nine bottles of beer,_  
 _take one down  
pass it around"_

Cristina stops.

 _"Ninety-eight bottles of beer on the_  
 _wall, ninety-eight bottles of beer,_  
 _ninety-eight bottles of beer,_  
 _take one down_  
 _pass it around"_

"Alright, alright!" Cristina says irritably.

"Thank you." April says in relief.

She turns back to the buzzer and rings once more. Suddenly Jackson answers.

"Hello, who's there?" Jackson says through the intercom.

"Jackson!" April yells.

"Shut the hell up. He can't hear you, remember?" Cristina tells April.

"Oh yeah."

"Jackson. Don't go away. It's Cristina. I called you last night. Your friend April says you gotta talk to me." Cristina says nervously. Both Cristina and April hear a click as Jackson hangs up.

Jackson walks away from the intercom, shaken. Suddenly he hears Cristina yelling up from the street.

"Hey you, Jackson! You gotta listen to me! This is for real. April is here. She needs to talk to you. It's really important." Cristina shouts.

Jackson walks over to the window and looks down. Cristina is standing in the street looking up. She is calling out at the top of her lungs. Jackson pulls back. April can see that Jackson is afraid.

"She says remember the starfish at Montego Bay? Remember the naked picture she took of you in Reno?" Cristina asks before she pauses. "Remember her baby green underwear, the pair you wrote your name on? She said that you wrote your name on 'em?"

April laughs at that part.

"I gotta say that was hilarious. I don't think I'll ever forget that one." Cristina chuckles.

Jackson tenses. There is a sign of recognition in his eyes.

Cristina is standing by the curb and shouting up to Jackson's fifth floor window. Several people stare at her curiously. She turns to them.

"Hey, do you mind you nosey hog-faced gossipers? This here's a private conversation. Do you think that you could mind your business for a change? You can. Then thank you. Thank you very much!" Cristina snaps.

The people turn away. She turns back to the window. April prompts her.

"Ask him about the sweater in the closet, the one I knitted that's too big."

"She just asked me to remind you of something. What about the sweater she had knitted for you that was too big?"

"It was four sizes." April tells her.

"Four sizes." Cristina tells out.

"He couldn't throw it out. I saw. I was there."

"You couldn't throw it out. She saw. April was there. This is for real." Cristina repeats.

"My god." Jackson softly says to himself. He grabs a sweater and heads for his door.

"Hey do you hear me talking to you?!" Cristina shouts angrily.

Suddenly, a workman peers out of a second story window.

"Yeah, I hear you." He shouts at Cristina.

"Man, shut up! I'm not talkin' to you." Cristina yells back.

"Haven't you ever heard of phones?" The worker yells back.

"You wanna kiss my ass, you bitch-baby?" She yells back.

"Cristina, what are we gonna do? I can't see Jackson out the window anymore!" April tells her.

"Listen, I'm not gonna stand here all day!" She snaps irritably.

"Thank God." The worker says.

"Aw man, shut up." She yells at the worker. "Look, I'm gonna count all the way down to 1, and if you aren't out here by the time I'm finished counting, I'm outta here." She bellows at Jackson. "Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three _... 'tree"_ and a half... two... one and _'tree'_ quarters…. I'm outta here!" She waves to the sky.

"Cristina, please!" April begs her, but she's not having it.

"Forget it. I've had enough of this." She tells Jude. Cristina is about to walk away when the entrance door opens. Jackson steps outside. Cristina sees her and stops.

"Jackson." April says.

"Jackson?" Cristina asks. Jackson nods his head.

"I'm Cristina." She says as she shakes Jackson's hand.


	19. Ditto!

Jackson and Cristina are sitting in a booth staring at one another.

"Why should I believe you? Why should I believe any of this?" Jackson asks Cristina.

"Look, Pretty Boy, you must be out of your goddamn mind, because if you think I'd come down here for the fun of it, then you got another thing coming. This April of yours... I don't know, man. I mean, you ever hear her rendition of Gloria Gaynor's _'_ _I Will Survive'_ all night long?"

"She did that?" Jackson asks and Cristina nods her head. "That's how she got me to go out with her." He softly chuckles.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but uh, she can't carry a tune after the third verse."

"I know." Jackson laughs. "Oh, God. This is all so crazy. I can't believe I'm talking to you like this. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I don't typically believe in these things. I don't believe in life after death."

"Cristina, tell him he's wrong." April tells her.

"April says you're wrong." Cristina tells Jackson.

"Y-you're talking to her right now?" Jackson asks Cristina.

"What? You think I'm making it up, don't you?"

"Ok. So where is she?" Jackson challenges.

"How the hell should I know? It's not like I can see her. I just hear her voice. It's a pity because I want to know why she looks like to bag a good looking guy like yourself."

"I'm holding his hand." April says.

"That doesn't help, April." She tells April.

"Would you at least tell him, please?" April asks Cristina.

"April says she's holding your hand." Cristina tells Jackson.

"She's holding m-my hand?" Jackson says with a lot of doubt in his voice. "Look, I'm sorry, but I don't believe you. Why are you doing this to me? I'm very sorry, but I don't believe a word you're saying. April is dead, alright? She's dead."

"I'm holding his hand." April says fiercely.

"Well, she says that she's holding your hand." Cristina says, and Jackson's hand jumps. Cristina looks at him and there is a long, poignant moment. April starts choking up.

"God, I love him love him so much." April says. "I remember that he told me why he doesn't say those words."

"She says she loves you. She loves you so much." Cristina says. "She also says that she remember why you never say those words."

"No." Jackson says shaking his head. "My April would never say that in her life." He says as he stands up from the booth getting ready to leave.

April's eyes brighten.

"Ditto! Tell Jackson I said _'ditto'_."

"Ditto? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"He's almost out the door! Please say it!" April begs.

"Ditto!" Cristina shouts.

Jackson stops. He then turns around to look at Cristina, who can now see the expression of true astonishment shining in his eyes.

"April?" Jackson asks.


	20. Cristina's Warning

Back at the apartment, Jackson is pressed up against the edge of the couch listening nervously as Cristina speaks. April wanders around the room, anxiously.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know how I'm doing it. In fact, confidentially, nothing like this ever happened to me, like this before. Now, all a sudden, I can't turn it off." Cristina stops talking as soon as she sees a photo of April.

"Is this her?" Cristina asks Jackson. "Is this you?" She asks April.

"Yes." The couple responds to her.

"She's definitely is a cute one. She's somewhat annoying, a bit of a goody-two-shoes, but cute." She says as she takes a seat in Jackson's arm chair.

"Thanks." Jackson says as he blushes. April chuckles.

"I don't understand, though. Why did April come back? Why is she still here?"

"I don't know, babe." April says.

"She's stuck. That's what it is. She is definitely in-between worlds. You know…. It probably happened so fast that when her spirit got yanked out, it seems as though that-that her essence still feels like she still has work to do on here." Cristina answers.

"Dammit, will you stop rambling?"

"I don't think I'm rambling all, ok? I'm just answering his question." She tells April.

"Get real." April responds.

"Oh! Now she's got an attitude problem now." She tells Jackson.

"I don't have an attitude at all."

"Yes, you do have an attitude problem, Ms. Sassy Pants." She responds.

"Um-" Jackson says watching Cristina, half-amazed and half-troubled.

"I know you're freaked out at the moment, but don't worry about it at all. We're having a little discussion here, hot stuff." Cristina reassures Jackson.

"I repeat, I do not have an attitude problem at all!" April snaps.

"If you didn't have an attitude problem, you would not have raised your voice to me now would you?"

"God dammit! You are so-"

"Don't you dare'God dammit'me, April Kepner! Never take that tone with me alright, 'cause I don't play that, alright?"

"Dammit you homely bitch, would you relax?"

"No, you relax! You're the dead girl!" She snaps. Jackson is totally confused.

"Jesus Christ!" April snaps back.

"Excuse me, baby boy. Time for me to go." She tells Jackson as she stands up from her chair and walks towards the door.

"I don't believe I'm watching this. I just cannot believe this is happening to me at all." Jackson says in disbelief.

"Ugh, damn it. All right. I apologize. Are you satisfied now?!" April asks her. Cristina stops, pauses a moment, and walks back to the arm chair.

Cristina pauses for a moment before she makes a decision.

"She's apologized." Cristina tells Jackson as she makes her way back to the seat that she was in.

April, relieved, paces back and forth. Cristina's eyes follow April's voice as Jackson watches her curiously.

"Please, Cristina, I need you to tell Jackson what I'm saying. You gotta tell him word for word, alright? Word for word." April tells her.

"Yes." She tells April in an annoyed tone. "Ms. Thing has a message for you. She wants me to tell you what she is saying, word for word." She tells Jackson as she pursues her lips.

"Jackson, you're in danger." April starts.

"Now you can't just blurt it out like that! And quit moving around will you, because you're starting to make me dizzy. In fact, I'll just tell him in my own way, alright?" She tells April. She then pauses for a moment before she tells Jackson the news. "Jackson, you're in danger, boy." She says, batting her eyes at him.

"I- what?" Jackson says.

"I know the man who killed me." April says.

"She knows the man who killed her." Cristina tells Jackson.

"His name is Mark, and I know where he lives."

"His name is Mark, who's probably a super out of shape freak. April knows where he lives."

"I want you to write it down." April tells Cristina.

"She wants you to write it down." Cristina tells Jackson, pointing at a pen and a notepad.

"No, Cristina. I want you to write it down."

"I'm not a damn secretary!" Cristina snaps.

"Just do it! Geez." April snaps. Cristina huffs angrily.

"Ugh, she's so testy. How did you put up with April and her chronic bitch-itis?" She asks Jackson. "What is it that you want me to write?"

Cristina takes a card from her purse and grabs a pencil.

"Mark lives at 303 Prospect Place. Apartment 4D."

"303 Prospect Place? Damn, that's my neighborhood." Cristina seems perplexed as she writes it down and gives it to Jackson.

"Jackson, he's got your wallet and my key. He was in here."

"He's got you wallet and April's key. He was in here."

"In here?" Jackson pales.

"You have to go to the police. The mugger wasn't acting alone. It was a setup, Jackman. He was going for you, but I was murdered." April says, directly to Jackson. Cristina is very shocked at this piece of news.

"He says he was set up, that you were the target but she was murdered. She wants you to go to the police." Cristina says.

Jackson stands up, afraid. Cristina stands up, too.

"I'm sorry. I don't want anything to do with this." Cristina says as she gives Jackson the card.

Cristina heads for the door as Jackson watches in a daze.

"Wait!" Jackson yells out.

"Where you going?" April asks.

"What do you mean where am I going? I did everything that i was supposed to do. Don't follow me, Kepner! I've done all I'm gonna do." She says as she opens the door. "I'm finished here. And I'm not coming back, ever again. So don't you come bothering me again 'cause it's over. I mean it. This is it. Have a nice life. Have a nice death. I'm going. Goodbye."

"But-" Jackson starts, but he fails. Cristina lets herself out. Jackson and April just stand there as the door slams shut.


	21. Denial

Lexie is pacing nervously. She seems very upset. After a moment she approaches Jackson. April is behind them.

"Jackson, there's no one on earth who'd like it to be true more than me, but you've got to be rational about this. I understand your desire to hold on to April. I really do my friend, but this... this is absurd." Lexie tells Jackson.

"It was real, Lexie. She was real."

"Listen to him, Lexie, goddamn it. Jackson needs some support here." April says.

"Jackson, you're a grown ass man, who is very successful. How can you believe some fortune teller from Brooklyn...?"

"Lexie, she was in touch with her."

"I don't believe it, Jackson. Not for a minute." Lexie snorts.

"Come on, Lexie. Open your mind." April tells Lexie, but it doesn't work.

Lexie sits down beside Jackson.

"Lexie, she knew things."

"What kind of things?"

"I told you, the picture in Reno, the starfish... damn it, Lexie." Jackson sniffles. "She said April knew who killed her. That the murder was set up. Like how the death was meant for me."

"Oh, boy. This is getting deranged. We're going off the deep end here." Lexie replies.

"Give Lexie the address, Jackman."

"She had a name, an address – Mark, 303 Prospect Place. She said that he had April's keys and my wallet."

April smiles.

Lexie stands up and her voice begins to rise.

"This is sick. This is really sick. How can you swallow this crap? Who knows if this guy exists? Maybe she's just setting someone up. You never know, Jack."

"That's what I have to find out." Jackson says earnestly.

"F-find out? W-what are you t-talking ab-a-about?" Lexie asks nervously.

"April wants me to go to the police." Jackson says and Lexie starts laughing.

"April wants you to go to the police? Jackson! Jesus! Are you outta your goddamn mind? What are you gonna tell 'em? 'Some storefront psychic's been getting messages from the dead?' Do you know how that sounds? You're talking ghosts here, for God's sake."

Jackson looks suddenly vulnerable.

"I'm sorry. This stuff just really gets to me." Lexie says.

"You don't believe me." Jackson says dejectedly. "You don't believe any of this, do you?" He says trying to keep his tears at bay.

"I'm trying to, but... Look, if it'll make you sleep any better, I'll check it out, okay? Now why don't you go to bed? Try and get some sleep." Lexie says half heartedly.

Jackson looks at Lexie, annoyed. April knows that Jackson doesn't believe her for a second.


	22. Truth

Lexie, in her red Ford Mustang, is speeding up town. April is beside her in the front seat.

 **†**

Lexie steps into the lobby of Willie's building. April follows, wide-eyed. She seems both intrigued and astounded by what Lexie is doing. When Lexie stops to read the apartment number on Willie's mail box, April is thrilled.

"Way to go, Lexie! Please be careful."

Lexie climbs the stairs two at a time and approaches Willie's door. She bangs on it, loudly.

The door opens a crack as William peers out. Lexie pushes it hard and it opens the rest of the way. William steps back.

"Lexie, what're you doin' here?" William asks Lexie.

April freezes as William addresses Lexie by name. She can barely move.

"Who've you been talking to?" Asked a scared Lexie.

"Talking to? What the hell do you mean? What's going on?" He asks a paranoid Lexie.

"Some woman knows all about you. The murder, and everything but your name. Where's she getting it from, huh?" Lexie impatiently asks William.

"What the hell are you talking about? I haven't said a word."

At this point, April is staggered. Her body is shaking, violently.

"She knows your name, goddamn it! She knows where you live!" Lexie snaps.

"So what?" William shrugs. "A lot of women know where I live."

Lexie is fuming.

"This isn't a joke, man. You find that bitch, whoever she is, and... get rid of her immediately, you hear me? I've got five point three million dollars stuck in that fucking computer. If I don't get those codes, if that money's not transferred soon, I'm dead. If I lose Ross' money, we're both dead."

"You know what you should tell him? Tell him you only wash dirty money on the first of the month."

"What is wrong with you? Is everything fucking a joke to you? You were supposed to steal his wallet. You weren't supposed to kill April. Was that a joke?"

"I did you a favor. Freebee." William says, in a casual tone.

"Jesus!" Lexie says, sickened. "These are drug dealers, man. Don't blow this for me, William. I've risked my job here! I could go to jail. A three-hundred thousand of that money goes to me." She says before pausing. "Now give me the key to Jackson and April's place. I'll get that address book myself."

William goes to the desk drawer and takes out April's key. April, unable to control herself, explodes in a fit of rage. Hauling back, she slugs Lexie with all her might. Her fist has no impact.

"You killed me, Lexie. You had planned to kill Jackson, but instead I got killed. Look what you've done to me! Look what you've done!" April said.

 **†**

Lexie is on the street heading back to her car. April is beside her, yelling right into her beady looking face. She is screaming and cursing at the top of her lungs but Lexie doesn't hear her at all.

"You fucker! You mother fucker! I had a life, Goddamn you. I had a life!" She cries.

From the distance, April is smashing into Lexie. It is like hitting the air. For all of his rage and bluster, there is nothing she can do at this point.


	23. Jackson's Task

**A/N: To The Wonderful Guess Who Commented On The Last Chapter, I Haven't Forgotten That Bit of Information At All. Please Remember, The Mugger's Name Is Sort Of A Mystery, Until Jackson Finds Out The True Name. Other Than That, I Really Appreciate Your Commentary. You Absolutely Rock!**

* * *

Jackson, neatly dressed, exits his building and he hails a cab. He hops inside. Seconds later, Jackson hops out again, yelling.

"You dumb, fascist bigot. Who the fuck do you think you are? Bed Stuy's part of New York, you know. This is America, you dumb, fascist motherfucker." Jackson says angrily. The driver speeds off. Jackson gives him the finger.

* * *

Jackson exits a subway station and walks toward 303 Prospect Street. He is the only light skinned man on the block and heads turn as he passes.

"Hey, Mocha, you lost or sumpin'?" A lady asks him.

Jackson pays no attention. Children run up to him, stare, and run away.

When Jackson turns down 303 Prospect Plave, the crowds disperse and he is all alone. There is a sense of menace in the air the he can feel. He gets intimidated for a moment, but decides to push on with his mission. A group of young women are sitting on a stoop, watches as he walks by. One of them whistles. Jackson ignores them and he keeps walking.

* * *

 ** **Jackson's P.O.V****

After quite some time, I can finally see William's building.

"Yes. Alright, Jackson Avery. Do what you need to do so that you can go to the police." I tell myself.

As I walk into the dank lobby, I get an eerie feeling. It is dark and full of shadows. Leaning close, I examine the mail boxes. William's name is on one of the boxes. I back away from the mail boxes, very afraid.

"Oh my God!" I say softly. "Could this be real?"


	24. Snoop

A dresser drawer opens and a box labeled "April's Things - Valuable" in thick black ink, is slowly pulled out. A hand reaches inside it and extracts Jackson's address book. Lexie is standing in Jackson and April's living room. Lexie opens the book and quickly jots down a series of code numbers she finds in the back of the small book. Her eyes instantly sparkle with excitement.

"Thank you for being irresponsible, Jackson." Lexie says happily. "You are one dumb fuck!"

She puts everything back and leaves the apartment, singing Oh Happy Day to herself.

Little did she know, April was going to rain on her parade.


	25. Police Station

Jackson is sitting in a room opposite Detective Mark Sloan, 48, and Sergeant Stephanie Edwards, 31. Both officers are staring at Jackson as he speaks. Jackson seems very uncomfortable.

"Look, you've gotta believe me. I don't even believe this stuff, myself. I never have. But this- I have a strong feeling that this is real." Jackson says earnestly, feeling this strong sensation in his gut. "Do you think I'd come here if it wasn't real? You told me to come if I had any new information. Well, here I am."

The officers don't respond. They simply look at him as if he is a mad man.

"Don't look at me like that. You guys use psychics all the time."

There is dead silence.

"Damn it. I know how this sounds. I hear myself saying it and I really want to cringe. But this woman knew things she couldn't have known, intimate details."

"How intimate?" Stephanie asks Jackson.

"Things April only said to me." Jackson responds.

"Okay, let me get this straight. According to this psychic lady, there are ghosts and spirits all over the place, watching us all the time, huh?" Stephanie smirks then proceeds to stand up. "I'm sorry. I've got more important things to do than to listen to this ridiculous story of yours." She leaves the room. Jackson gives her a dirty look and turns to Mark.

"I'm telling you, sir. The killer's name is William Thorpe. I've got his address. You've got to check it out."

Detective Sloan gets up and looks over to Jackson.

"Okay. You just wait here. Let me see if this guy's got a record." Mark tells him.

"Thank you." Jackson says.

As Mark heads out of the room, Jackson sits back with an air of enormous relief and gratitude. Stephanie comes into the room again and picks up a folder. Jackson waits nervously. After a moment Mark returns with a police file in his hands. Jackson looks up at him and then smiles at Mark as she sees it. He feels vindicated. Mark lays the thick folder on the desk and opens it up. Jackson hurries over to him.

"What are you doing? This isn't what I asked for. Where's your file on William Thorpe?"

"There's no file for a William Thorpe. However, we do have a file on this Cristina of yours. She was probably some old boyfriend she was trying to get even with. This psychic woman's record goes back a long way. Fraud, numbers rackets, you name it. She's a real pro."

Jackson can see recent photos of Cristina and various others going back to her youth. They are fascinating and revealing. He even sees photos of her mother and grandmother. In addition, there are pages of arrest records and prison files.

"2007. Shreveport, Louisiana. Forgery, selling false IDs. Served one year. 2011. Baton Rouge. Arrested for fraud, numbers racketeering. Served ten months. 2014. Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Fraud, seven months. 2014. Albany, New York. Petty larceny. It goes on and on." Mark tells him.

Jackson is overwhelmed by the evidence.

"This woman's a charlatan. You can't believe anything she says." Mark finishes.

"This isn't possible. There were words, private things. How could she have known all that?" Jackson asks, tears forming in his eyes.

"They have their ways."

"Ways? What ways, Detective Sloan?"

"They've got a million cons, Mr. Avery. A lot of times these so called "Spiritual Readers" read the obits. All she had to do was see the word "banker". Hell, they even go through your garbage to find things they can use, letters, old papers. They don't need much."

Jackson turns away to wipe his eyes.

"I bet you threw stuff out, huh? It could have been anything. What about that underwear she knew all about?"

Jackson's eyes widen.

"Baby blue underwear? I'll bet she zeroed right in on that."

"No! She was real. She said things- private things. She knew about a sweater April knitted, about songs we sang... She knew about this place we went to in Montego Bay..."

Jackson begins to cry again.

"Mr. Avery, I'm sorry. I know this is hard. People want so much to believe. They're grieving, vulnerable. They'd give anything for one last moment... money, insurance policies. Believe me, these people know what they're doing. Look, I know how you must feel. You know, if it'll make you feel any better, you can always press charges."

"No, thank you." Jackson says as he shakes his head.

Detective Sloan nods his head compassionately then closes the file. Jackson sits for a long time. He is in terrible pain.

"Oh God, I wanted it to be April." Jackson says sadly before he leaves the police station.


	26. Breakdown

Jackson is sitting on the top of the stairs in the loft. The glow of the late afternoon sunlight casts long shadows across the walls. He is deeply depressed and very alone. Gradually his gaze falls on a jar sitting that he is rolling back and forth, on its side. In it is the penny he found when they were first working on the loft. A label on the jar says, _"For Luck!"_ He remembers when they found the jar.

* * *

 _"Hey, look what I found! There's a penny inside."_

 _"Will you let me see it?"_

 _"For luck in our new loft. It's a good omen."_

 _"You're the good omen."_

* * *

In a moment of sudden rage, Jackson snaps and he simply lets the jar roll down the stairs. The jar shatters into a million pieces as the penny gets lost. Jackson breaks down and he wails.


	27. Fake Account

The code from Jackson's address book, jotted on a piece of paper, is sitting beside Lexie.

"God, let this be it!" An excited, yet hopeful Lexie says to herself.

Anxiously, Lexie punches the code into a computer and, suddenly, Jackson's accounts appear on the screen. A look of relief wafts across Lexie's face.

"Oh God, yes! I am so thankful that Jackson is irresponsible with his address book." Lexie says gleefully.

Lexie is staring at the bank accounts Jackson was examining the afternoon before April was killed, the accounts with too much money in them. Lexie picks up the phone and punches a number. Someone answers.

"Hello, Ronny? Yeah, this is Lexie...Yeah... I'm all set... We're fine... Everything's fine... Great... Just tell me what you want me to do."

"We want you to transfer the money from the 16 separate accounts into a single account under the name "Rita Miller". Tomorrow, at five minutes before closing, 4:55 p. m., transfer the full account to First Island Bank of Nassau, registry number 243-5890." Ronny tells Lexie.

Lexie writes it all down.

"Call us when it's done."

"Will do. Tell Mr. Balistrari there won't be any problems."

"I'll do that."

Lexie hangs up. She seems deeply relieved.

"Thank you, Jesus."

April is standing in front of Lexie, watching. Quickly, Lexie begins punching commands into the computer. She is setting up the dummy account. Rita, #926-31043.

"I'm gonna fuck you up." April tells her angrily. I'm gonna fuck you up, big time. "I promise you that."


	28. Visitors

Jackson, in a long silk robe, is sitting in his favorite chair. A magazine is on his lap but he is staring vacantly into the loft. He seems lost in the vast space. April is pacing back and forth. There is a melancholy look in her eyes.

"Why can't you hear me, Jackson? I need you."

Suddenly the bell rings. Jackson jumps. He walks over to the intercom. Jackson's finger is on the intercom. He seems unsettled, but he answers anyway.

"Who's there?" Jackson asks.

"Hey, Jackson, it's Lexie. Can I come up for a little bit please?"

April freezes.

Jackson is completely surprised.

He hesitates a moment and then pushes the buzzer to let his friend in. He can hear Lexie bounding up the stairs.

"Don't open it, babe. She's a snake and a goddamn murderer!"

A few moments later, there is a knock. Jackson opens the door. Lexie seems buoyant, almost celebratory. She has a bag of food in her hand. She is still in a white dress shirt, tie, blazer and a pencil skirt.

"Hi, Jack. How are you doing?" Lexie greets as she hugs Jackson.

"I'm doing the best with what I've got, Lexie. How's everything going at work?" Jackson asks as he pulls away from Lexie.

"Everything is going well but I have to say man, we all miss you man."

"Hopefully when I'm in the right state of mind, I'll be back at work very soon. How are you, man?"

"I'm fine, thanks. I know it's late. I'm sorry to disturb you. I felt bad about last night. This supernatural stuff just makes me so uncomfortable. I don't even read horoscopes at all."

"Don't worry about it, Lexie. It's okay."

"No, it's not okay, Jackson. You needed me to hear you, and I didn't. I was so wrong. I want you to know that I'm your friend, Jack." Lexie says with a wide smile.

"You were never our friend, you lowlife, scum sucking, sick fuck." April tells him.

"Hey, I brought you some Japanese apple pears and some Chinese food. I know you like them."

"Oh, Lexie! You didn't have to do that at all. That's so considerate of you to do that."

"I don't mind at all. That's what friends are for right?"

"Right." Jackson agrees.

"Listen, can I come in for a minute? I won't stay long. I've had one of those days. Maybe a cup of coffee?"

"No, Jackman! Don't do it! Don't let her in!" April tells him.

"Sure. Come on in." Jackson says, happy to have some company to distract him from the terrible day he's having.


	29. Jackson and Lexie's Talk

Lexie, in shirt sleeves and Jackson in his silk robe, are sitting on the couch drinking coffee. Jackson notices that Lexie is wearing yellow suspenders. April is sitting nearby, watching them intently.

"Are you alright? You look nervous, upset."

"What can I tell you? It's been tough." Lexie says, looking at her thighs. "Hell, you know, it still hurts so much." Lexie says as she _"poses sadly"_ _for a moment_. "Then on top of it all... it's the responsibilities. They've given me some of your accounts to take care of, just until you come back, but I've had no time to adjust. My mind has been reeling so much, and that's only because April was my friend."

Jackson reaches out and pats her arm. There is an awkward pause.

"Where were you this morning? I thought you were coming to the bank to sign those papers."

"I uh- I didn't have time. I went to the police, Lexie."

April looks at Lexie, amazed. Lexie, on the other hand, stiffens. She laughs nervously.

"You're kidding. Tell me you're kidding."

"Nope."

"You really did it? I don't believe... What did you tell them? What did they say?" Lexie asks Jackson, slightly frightened.

"You were right, you know. I felt like such a fool. They brought out a file on this psychic woman ten inches thick. It was pretty bad."

"A rip-off artist, huh?" Lexie wonders, clearly relieved.

"Jackson, no." April says. "She's the real deal."

Jackson sighs.

"Let it out buddy." Lexie encourages.

"The sad part is that I believed her. I believed her, Lexie. It was all a sham. I don't know what to think or what to do anymore."

"Sometimes we need to believe. There's nothing wrong with that Jackson." Lexie reassures.

"Why?... It's because I was a fool. I don't believe in anything anymore. I cannot believe in anything at all at this point. Why would people do such things?" Jackson asks sadly.

April is devastated.

"It's hard to face reality, Jack, the hard cold facts of it." Lexie says, milking it. "What you have to remember is the love you felt. That's what's real. You have to remember how good April was. How much April loved you."

Jackson holds back his tears. Lexie reaches out tenderly and strokes his hair.

"You were everything to April, Jackson. You truly meant the world to her. You were her life, through and through."

"I feel so alone." Jackson says, finally letting his tears fall.

"You're not alone. You're still young. You've got so much talent. You're fantastically gorgeous."

"Oh God, I don't know what's real anymore." Jackson says, appreciating Lexie's words. "I don't know what to think."

"Just think about April. Think about what she meant to you, the years you had together, how wonderful they were." Lexie says as she glides her hand slowly, lovingly across Jackson's cheek.

"Let your feelings out, Jack." Almost imperceptibly, her hand moves down to the nape of Jackson's neck. As Jackson moves, his robe opens slightly. Lexie notices, glimpsing his near nakedness beneath it. April notices, too.

She freezes.

"Life turns on a dime, Jack." Lexie continues. "People think they have forever, that they'll always have tomorrow. But it's not true because tomorrow is never promised. April taught us that. We have to live for now, for today."

Jackson can barely contain his tears. Lexie moves toward his moist cheeks and kisses them gently. Slowly, she guides her lips to Jackson's neck and kisses it, too. It is all hateful and sensual at the same time. April turns away. Jackson feels Lexie's tenderness, needs it. He does not notice Lexie's hand reaching for the cord on his robe and slowly pulling it toward her. With a little tug the cord unravels and the robe falls open. Jackson is confused, aroused, not sure what to do. He starts to pull it close, but Lexie's hand starts reaching for Jackson's member.

At this moment, April starts seeing red.

Her blood is boiling.

All she can see is her anger and at this point, April could literally kill someone with her anger.

 **"NO! HANDS OFF, YOU SNAKE! JACKSON IS MINE, GOT IT?! HE IS** _ **MINE**_ ** _!_ HE'S** _ **MINE**_ _ **!**_ _ **MINE**_ ** _!_ "** April yells angrily.

April charges wildly at the couch and begins flailing uncontrollably at the two of them. Unexpectedly her foot kicks out and hits a framed photograph of him and Jackson that's sitting on their coffee table. The picture crashes to the floor with the glass shattering. Jackson jumps up, the mood suddenly broken. He sees the photo and recoils quickly. Lexie backs away. April is stunned by what has happened.

"What the-" April wonders as she looks at her hands.

She then jumps up and tries kicking over another picture but nothing moves. Her foot goes right through it. Jackson looks at Lexie, drying his tears.

"I can't. I'm sorry. I can't. It's too soon... You… you have been really great Lexie, but... I need you to leave. Please. I need you to." Jackson says as he closes his robe.

"Sure. It's okay. I understand. I really do." Lexie says, crestfallen. She reaches out and takes Jackson's hand.

"Look, what if we have dinner tomorrow night? Just talk. Can I interest you in that?" Lexie asks.

 **"NO! DON'T TRUST** _ **THIS**_ **MOTHERFUCKING BITCH!"** April yells towards Jackson.

Jackson hesitates a moment and then nods his head. Lexie smiles.

"Until tomorrow, Jack." Lexie says as she exits the loft.

"I need to find that subway ghost, ASAP!" April says as she exits the loft as well.


	30. April's Mission

"Ok, April Kepner. It's time to get down to business, girl. It's now or never." April say to herself as she's standing outside of the train station.

She starts making her way through the crowd quickly.

"You can do this April." She chants to herself.

A few moments later, April rushes madly down a flight of stairs into a subway station. A train is just leaving. She instantly jumps on board.

* * *

For over twenty minutes, April has been casing the aisles in a quick pace, looking for something. It is not there. Another train can be seen speeding past the window. April takes a running leap and jumps onto it, passing through the walls. Still nothing. At this point, April disappointed. Suddenly, an express train passes alongside his local. April sticks her face inside it. Suddenly, she smiles and rushes onto it. April's found what she's looking for.

April does not have to stand there long. Within seconds, the terrifying Ghost that she had seen before comes charging at her. The ghost is wearing a brown pea coat. There is a frazzled look about the ghost. He has stained teeth and seems perpetually sloppy.

"Get off my train!" He bellows at April angrily.

This time April does not back away.

"No." April says as she holds her ground. She notices that the ghost fires every trick in his arsenal. Posters start flying off the walls. A bag of groceries topples from a woman's arms, an old man's cane flies across the aisle, a boy's Mets cap flips off his head. People on the train move quickly to other cars. Unable to frighten April any longer, she kicks April in the stomach. April suddenly recoils, feeling it, but gets back up again. She is angry now. At this point, April begins raging at the other ghost.

The ghost is shocked.

"Teach me how you do that! I want to learn! I have to learn the art of being a ghost! I'm not leaving 'til you teach me!" April tells him.

He is now exhausted, but he looks up at April and smiles with appreciation.

"You madam, are a very stubborn bitch." He tells April.

April simply nods in agreement.


	31. Ghost Lessons

April and the other ghost are both sitting in the corner of a deserted subway station. April is currently trying desperately to push a bottle cap with her index finger.

"What are you doing? What the hell are you doing? You can't push it with your finger. You're dead." The male ghost demonstrates, kicking a garbage pail onto its side. April can't quite tell how he did it.

"I don't get it." April sighs.

"It's your mind, you idiot." The ghost starts. "It's all in the mind. The problem is you think you're still real, that you're standing on the floor, that you're wearing those clothes. Guess what? Fucking bullshit! You don't even have a body anymore. It's all up here." He tells April, tapping his own forehead. "If you wanna move things, then you gotta use your mind. You gotta focus! You hear what I'm saying?"

"How do you focus?"

"I don't know how you focus! You just focus!" He tells April. With surprising energy, the ghost flicks a bottle cap and sends it shooting across the subway platform. "It's all in the anger. You gotta direct it. You gotta channel it. Control your emotions! Discipline your mind!"

April snorts.

"What?" She asks him.

"I'm angry all the time. It doesn't do a thing." He starts irritably.

"Cause you're angry all over. You gotta be angry here, in the pit of your stomach. Bring it down here." He says to April, motioning to his lower stomach. "Let it explode." He says as he makes an explosive gesture.

April flinches.

"It's like a reactor, you know? Pow!" He says as he kicks an empty Coke can toward April.

April tries to kick it back and misses.

The ghost laughs.

April gets angry.

She tries again, but she falls on her butt.

The ghost laughs louder.

Now April is really angry. She can see him forcing the anger down into his stomach. April holds still for a moment and then kicks at the can with all her might. To her shock and amazement, it sails right through the ghost's head.

The ghost smiles.

"I did it. I did it!" April says as if she's a kid at Disneyland for the first time.

"Way to go." The ghost congratulates her.

April is still practicing her newfound skills. She smashes at an abandoned tennis shoe with her fist.

Nothing happens.

"From your gut. What do I keep telling you?" He tells her.

April's stomach bulges.

She tries again.

Nothing.

"Give it time." He says calmly. "What else have you got?"

Undaunted, April tries once more. This time the tennis shoe moves. The ghost nods his head approvingly. April is thrilled.

"How long have you been here?" April wonders.

"Since they pushed me, some time ago."

"Oh my- someone pushed you?" She asks, sympathetically.

"Yeah, someone pushed me!" He snaps at April.

"Who would do such an awful thing?" She asks.

"What? You don't believe me? You think I fell? You think I jumped? Well, fuck you, girlie! Fuck you!" He says as an unexpected rage starts to build. "It wasn't my time! I wasn't supposed to go! I'm not supposed to be….here!"

Venom spews from the ghost's mouth. Suddenly he rams a cigarette machine full force with his hand. The glass shatters and packs of cigarettes scatter everywhere. He then throws herself on top of them with terrible longing.

"Ohh, I'd give everything for a drag. Just one drag. One last drag." He says. Suddenly he rolls and wallows in terrible frustration, tossing the cigarettes in all directions. Suddenly he looks up and sees that April pities him. He is unable to control his fury.

"Who the fuck are you? Why are you hounding me like this? Leave me alone! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" He yells at April.

An express train is shooting through the station. The ghost throws himself into it and in an instant he is gone.

"Thanks, whoever you are." April says pathetically.


	32. Practice

April, all alone after a couple of hours, walks through the bright platform. Suddenly, she reaches out and pushes a garbage can lid. It swings back and forth. She is delighted.

"Good." She says to herself, knowing that she is getting the hang of the "ghost art" that she's just learned.

A few minutes later, she sees a beer can that is sitting on a bench.

She stops.

April pushes it off, watching it roll across the platform with childlike glee.

Looking up, April sees an advertisement for Market Security Bank and Trust. She stares at it with great interest.

"Specialized Banking for our People. We make it easy for You."

Something registers in April's eyes. She yells and jumps straight up, hitting a subway sign with her finger. With great excitement, she runs for the stairs and rushes from the station looking for the one person who could help her.


	33. Seance Disaster

Maggie Pierce, a black woman with brassy red hair, is sitting at Cristina's seance table surrounded by several of her relatives. Meredith and Alex stand behind Cristina helping with the ritual. Cristina goes into her trance.

A group of ghosts are mingling behind Cristina. April comes barging into the room and looks at them in total amazement.

"Cristina? What the hell? What-?!"

Cristina, startled, jumps up in her chair. Everyone else jumps, too. Meredith and Alex look worried.

"April!"

"What is all this? What's goin' on?" April wonders.

"April, what'd you do, tell every spook in the entire world about me? I got spooks from out of town here. There's stuff going on you wouldn't believe. It's crazy! I can't hardly believe it myself!"

Maggie and her relatives look up, confused.

"Cristina. You're doing it." April says proudly.

"Yes, I know." Cristina says, half irritated and half proud of herself.

"This is for real. How do you like that?"

"I don't." Cristina says. "I really don't."

"Come on. Look at this. You're doing very great."

One of the many ghosts standing in the background butts in.

"Can you hurry this up? My husband's in the waiting room."

"Oh, chill out old lady!" Cristina snaps at the ghost. "Chill out!"

"Listen, I need your help, Cristina. There's something that we need to do."

"No way! Forget it, April! I'm not doing anything. Look, you're holding on to a life that doesn't want you any more. It doesn't want you. Give up the ghost!"

"Give it up? I'm already dead."

"Dead, yeah, but you aren't finished dying. Seriously, give up the ghost."

"And just how am I supposed to do that?"

"You're asking me? How the fuck would I know?"

Maggie looks at Cristina. She has no idea what's going on.

"Are you speaking to me?" Maggie asks Cristina.

"Bitch, does it look like I'm speaking to you?" Cristina snaps at her.

"I-"

"No? Good! So you might as well sit there and try to be quiet. Do you think you can try it? Thank you very much." She tells Maggie.

"I never." Says an offended Maggie.

"And you never will." Cristina tells her.

Maggie gasps in offense.

"April, are you gonna leave or not? Cause, honey, I've got work to do."

April shakes her head no.

Maggie is totally confused. Cristina turns back to her.

"Fine." Cristina says irritably before she turns her attention back to Maggie. "Excuse me! Excuse me! You're supposed to be concentrating. How the hell do you expect me to do this if you're not concentrating? Okay then. You ready? Let's do it."

Cristina and everyone in the room gets very quiet. One of the ghosts draws close. Cristina's eyes roll up into her head. Then, suddenly, an extraordinary thing occurs. April can see the spirit pull back and dive right into Cristina. Cristina gulps. Her nostrils flare. Her eyes bulge.

"Oh, Lord! Stop! Whatcha doing to me?" Cristina shouts. Cristina's body goes into bizarre convulsions as the Ghost tries to move inside her. She looks strangely stuffed and enormously uncomfortable.

April and the others watch in astonishment as Cristina tries to speak, but nothing comes out.

Then suddenly the ghost speaks through Cristina.

"Maggie?!" A deep voice calls out.

Maggie and her relatives jump up in amazement.

"Ethan? Is that you?" Maggie asks her dead husband excitedly.

"Maggie, where are you? I can't see too well." Ethan says, disoriented.

"Here! She's here!" Maggie's relatives tell him.

"I'm here! In front of you! I'm right here!" Maggie tells him.

Ethan suddenly zeros in on Maggie. His eyes widen.

"Oh my- damn baby, what've you done to your hair!?"

Maggie smiles excitedly.

"Ethan, do you like it? It's Autumn Sunrise." Maggie says as she touches her hair.

Suddenly Cristina's body begins to shake wildly and her voice booms out, screaming with all her might.

"Get out of me, you little shit!" Cristina snaps.

With frightening speed, she sends the spirit catapulting out of her body. Meredith and Alex jump up. Cristina is shaking.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" She says in disgust. "Ugh!"

"Ethan?!" Maggie asks as a highly confused April can see that Ethan is lying on the floor, exhausted.

"What happened to me? I can barely move." Ethan says.

"You should know better than to try that. It's not worth it. It'll wipe you out for several days." Another ghost tells him.

"That was incredible, Cristina." April says in awe.

"Never again. Never!" Cristina swears, shaking her head in determination.

"W- where's Ethan?" Maggie asks Cristina.

"He spoke through you. It was amazing." April tells Cristina, still amazed.

"No more, uh uh, no more." Cristina says, still in disagreement.

"What happened to Ethan? Where's the insurance policy?"

"You're great, Cristina! You're a real medium now! It's what you were born for!" April says happily.

"I want everybody out!" Cristina yells.

"Ethan?" Maggie asks. She looks around the room, befuddled. Meredith and Alex aren't sure what to do at this point. Cristina stands from her chair.

" **ARE YOU FUCKING DEAF?! I SAID EVERYBODY OUT! EVERYBODY OUT! GET OUT, OUT, GET OUT! EVERYBODY GET THE FUCK OUT! NOW!** " She snaps.

Maggie and her relatives scurry out fast. The ghosts, too, begin passing through the wall. Cristina eventually sits back down and she lays her head on the table. Suddenly her whole body begins heaving. She starts to cry. April is surprised.

"Cristina, what's wrong?" She asks her, worried.

"Out! I said out! That means you, too April!"

April hesitates a moment and then respectfully follows the others through the wall.

* * *

Alex knocks on the seance room door and peeks in.

"Cristina, there's a man here who says that he has to see you right away because it's urgent." Alex tells her.

"Awww." Cristina says sarcastically. "Well, that's too bad because I not seeing anybody at all."

Mark pushes his way into the room. Alex, taken off guard, isn't sure what to do. Cristina finally looks up. She does not know him.

"Are you the one that can talk to the dead?"

"I beg your pardon?! You- I'm not seeing customers right now. Get out!"

"And I said I need to know if you're the one." He challenges.

"Sure. I'm the one, but not now. Out!"

"This is important. You see, I have a friend. He uh- he died recently. Some people say that he was mugged. As for me, I think he was murdered." He tells her.

Cristina stares at him curiously.

"I'm told you can contact people like that. Is that true?" Mark says, faking his hopefulness.

"It's been known to happen on certain occasions. But it's not gonna happen now. If it's so important, you can always come back later."

"I can't wait 'til later." He insists. He sits down across from Cristina and shows no signs of leaving. She observes him quietly for a moment.

"God dammit, fine." She says irritably. "What's your friend's name?"

"That's a very good question. Why don't you tell me?"

Cristina simply glares at him.

"You're the psychic, right?" He eggs her on.

"Dammit! This isn't a guessing game."

"Then what is it, lady?"

"Look, I don't know what your trouble is." She says nervously. "Who the fuck are you?"

"You're the mind reader. I hear you've been telling people about me for days. So, what's my name?"

Cristina is now confused and uncomfortable. Most of all, she's beyond fed up with this difficult customer of hers. April comes wandering back into the room. Her eyes bulge.

"Mark!" April recognizes.

"Mark?" She repeats with her eyes wide open. "Prospect Place, Mark?"

Mark sits straight up in his chair, amazed.

"How'd you know that?"

"Because I'm psychic." Cristina says. With a sudden thrust, Cristina sends her foot shooting into Mark's crotch. As he recoils she knocks the table into his lap and rushes for the closet. She then barricades herself in the hidden chamber for good measure.

Mark, shaking, scrambles to his feet and, before April can stop him, Mark shoots his gun at the closet door. It is riddled with bullets. April screams out. Mark runs to the side door and escapes to the street. Meredith and Alex come rushing in.

April then charges into the closet and sees that Cristina is safe behind the false door. Then he hurries to the street.

* * *

April rushes to the sidewalk and looks in all directions. Mark is nowhere to be seen. She hurries back to Cristina.

* * *

The room is a disaster area, full of hysterical people. Cristina is being dragged from the closet, unhurt but in a state of shock.

"He tried to kill me! Why? Why?!" Cristina asks.

No one answers.

"Talk to me!" She demands.

Her siblings start talking but she instantly shoos them away.

"Cristina, we're in trouble..." April starts.

"We're in trouble? Who's we? You're already dead."

"I can stop them. But I can't do it alone. You've gotta help me."

"Help you? Are you freaking kidding me, Kepner?! It's me they're trying to kill here!"

"You're right. And they'll be back. So as of right now, I'm your only chance." April tells her seriously.

"Why don't you go find a haunted house and rattle some chains or something?" Cristina asks irritably.

"Cristina, I need you. I need you to get some fake ID's."

"Fake ID's? What for?" She asks in a huff.

"I've got a plan." April tells her and Cristina looks at her as if she knows where April is standing."Don't worry about it because I'll guide you through the plan. Help me now, and they'll never bother you again. I promise. Scouts honor."

Cristina stops and thinks for a while.

"Help you?" She asks, sounding unsure.

"Please. Please!" April begs her.

"Fine. What are you talking about exactly? What else do I have to do?"

"Do you have a nice dress?"

April can see that Cristina simply gives her a confused look.


	34. Rita Miller

"I can't believe you are making me do this." Cristina grumbles, clearly freaked out about the situation.

"Relax, Cristina."

Cristina, dressed to the hilt in a dark blue dress with a black blazer, is walking with April toward the main branch of Market Security Bank & Trust. April can see that she seems nervous and upset.

"This is crazy. This isn't gonna work. I know nothing about banking at all." Cristina grumbles.

"Don't worry about it. Besides the things that I learned at the bank, Jackson taught me everything about what I didn't know about banking one day. I'll teach you. You'll learn fast." He reassures a nervous Cristina.

As they reach the entrance of the bank, they pass four Nuns, collecting money to build a shelter for the homeless. One of them holds out a collection box. Cristina passes her by, carefully avoiding eye contact.

* * *

Cristina enters April's bank. She seems completely out of place. April, walking beside her, directs her every move.

"Alright, here we go. You see where it says _"New Accounts"_ over there by the stairway?" April says pointing towards a corner of the bank.

"Yeah."

"That's where you're going."

"What? Are you out of your mind? I'm not giving them any money!" A paranoid Cristina says.

"Just relax, be quiet and do what I say. You'll be fine."

"Okay."

Cristina approaches the New Accounts desk. She seems very uptight. A bank officer behind the desk looks up at her.

"Hello. How are you today?" The officer asks Cristina.

"I'm great. How are you?" Cristina responds.

"I'm doing well. How may I help you?"

"Tell her you're here to fill out a signature card for a new account." April tells Cristina.

"Yes. I'm here to fill out a signature card for a new account." She says, sitting down in the chair in front of the desk.

"Great. And do you know your account number?"

"926-31043." April told her

"Yes I do. My account number is 926-31043."

"Rita Miller." April tells Cristina.

"Who?" An absentminded Cristina asks, loudly.

"What?" The officer asks Cristina.

"Tell her that your name is Rita Miller."

"My name is Rita Miller."

"Ahh. I see." The banker tells her. "Didn't they have you sign a card when you opened the account? They should have given one to you."

"Tell him that Jackson Avery's girlfriend April opened it for you by phone and asked you to come in today." April told Cristina.

"Well sir, my brother-in-law's friend, Jackson Avery, had a girlfriend April who opened it for me. She asked me to come in anytime I could." Cristina exaggerates.

"You're doing great, Cristina." April says.

"I understand. I am sorry for your brother-in-law's loss with his girlfriend." The banking officer sympathizes. "Were they happy?"

"Oh, you have no idea sir." Cristina responds, tearing up. April smirks at the lie.

The officer checks out the name and account number on her computer screen. It all seems to be in order. He pulls out a card from her desk and hands it to Cristina. Cristina stares at it.

"Alright, just sign you name at the bottom on the first blank line and we'll be good to go." April tells her.

"May I use your pen?" Cristina asks the bank officer.

"Here you go." He tells her as he hands her a pen.

"Thank you so much."

Cristina nods to herself and starts to sign "Cristina" on the line. April stops her.

"No, no, no. Rita Miller!" April tells her.

"Can I have another one please? I accidentally signed this card with my middle name because April always called me by my middle name."

"Sure." The bank officer says sympathetically.

April hits his forehead with his hand. The officer gives her another card. Cristina signs it.

"Tell him to see that it goes right up to the second floor file since you have a transaction to make." April tells Cristina.

"Please make sure that you to put that in the second floor file because I have a transfusion to make."

"A- a what?"

"Let's go." April says incredulously.

"You know what I mean." Cristina chuckles, innocently. "I love this pen. Can I keep the pen?" She asks, holding up the pen.

"Well...uh, sure." The officer says surprised, not sure what to say.

"Thank you so much!" Cristina squeals in delight. "Bye-bye." She walks away smiling and gives the officer a wave. She is loving this.

"God, you are a strange lady." April says.

"I just love these pens." Cristina says in delight.

"Then keep the pen."

"Why are always getting on my case..." Cristina starts to ask.

"What do you want keep the pen for?!"

"Because I love how..."

The bank officer looks on, confused.


	35. Waiting

The clock on Lexie's wall says 4:40. She seems anxious. The phone rings and Lexie jumps. She regains her composure and she pushes down the speaker button.

"Hello. Lexie speaking."

"Lexie?"

"Mr. Balsitrari?"

"Balistrari? Lexie, it's me, Chad."

"Oh. Sorry about that. What do you need Chad?"

"I've got the info on the Woodley portfolio that you asked me for."

"Oh yeah, yeah. That's great. I had forgotten all about it. I'll pick it up later."

"Awesome. See ya later, Lexie."

"Bye Chad." She says before she hangs up. Her hands are shaking, violently.


	36. Withdrawal

As April and Cristina exit the elevator, they approach a fancy part of the bank housing administrative personnel. They approach a security guard who is standing there.

"I don't suppose that you can loosen up your blazer so that you can entertain this jerk."

"You keep messing with me April, you're gonna be here all by yourself." She warns April with a slight scowl on her face.

"Tell the guard you're here to see Levi Schmitt."

"Levi Schmitt ." She repeats to herself as she walks up to the security guard. "Hello, Sir. I'm here to see Levi Schmitt, please." Cristina says with a smile on her face.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No. I'm here for my health." Cristina responds snappishly, giving him a deadpan glare.

"Don't say that! Tell him Rita Miller is here." April tells her.

"You just tell him Rita Miller is here." She tells the guard in the same irritated tone she gave him.

"Just one moment, please."

"Don't embellish." April tells her.

"Ya, bald." Cristina shouts at the guard.

"Excuse me?" The guard asks her.

"Nothing." She waves him on with a small smile on her face. He walks on.

"Now listen, you're gonna meet one of Jackson's coworkers. This guy Levi is a big time jerk." April whispers to Cristina.

"Damn, April, this is so annoying. Why are you whispering?" Cristina asks her, irritably.

"Jesus, just be quiet and listen." April tells her, not even sure why she herself is whispering. "I've known him five years and he still thinks my name's Jun, yet oddly enough he's highly fond of Jackson."

"Lord." She chuckles.

"Yup."

She sees the guard leaning over Mr. Schmitt's desk. Levi looks up and sees Cristina. He shrugs his shoulders.

"Oh boy." Cristina starts, but April reassures her.

"He's a social moron. We once went to a party where he got so drunk, he could've partied with Anna Kendrick and he couldn't even remember it." She tells Cristina and she chuckles. "You don't have to worry about anything at all. Tell the guard that Schmitt knows you. You spent time with him and his wife Emily at the Daniel's Christmas party last year."

The guard comes back.

"What is this regarding?" He asks Cristina.

"What? You're pulling my leg. He doesn't remember me?" She feigns as if she's in total shock and disbelief. "We were together at the Karev's Christmas Eve party with his wife Emily." She says before she embellishes on the story. "They had that lovely white tree... all those presents, must've been a thousand of them everywhere. Why, I'll never forget all those beautiful…."

April's now irritated by the fabricated story and she pokes Cristina. She yelps, surprised, and glances around. The guard gives her an odd look.

"Oops. Sorry. I was carried away by that party that I forgot that I was here to do some business." Cristina says as she forces a smile. He smiles back and then goes over to Mr. Schmitt.

"Would you quit poking me?!" She whispers.

"Oh, shut up." April says. "This'll be easy. Schmitt was so drunk at that party, he could have had a conversation with Tina Turner and he wouldn't remember." She tells Cristina.

The guard whispers in Schmitt's ear. Schmitt appears totally flummoxed. He looks up at Cristina, embarrassed, and waves. The guard motions her to come back. She squeals with glee as she walks proudly over to his desk. He sticks out his hand.

"Hello, hello. Of course, of course. It's been so long."

"It's been such a long time." She smiles back at him.

"Ask him how Bobby and Snooky are." April tells her.

"How are Bobby and Snooky doing?" Cristina asks Levi.

Levi is perplexed.

"Why, they're just fine, thank you. Nice of you to ask. And how is your... family?"

"Ooh, they couldn't be better, thank you." She says, waving her hand a bit.

"Well, isn't that wonderful." Levi says genuinely.

"Tell him you've been wondering how they did on the Gibraltar securities." April tells Levi.

"So tell me, Schmitt, how did you do on the Gibraltar securities? I've been wondering how the deal went for quite some time." Cristina tells Levi .

Levi is surprised by the question, but in a good way.

"The Gibraltar securities! Well, it looks like we topped out, huh?" He asks her happily.

"We sure did!" April says.

"We sure did." Cristina repeats.

"That was a wonderful tip." Says an impressed Levi .

"Good old Randy." April says.

"Good old Randy. Randy's got a real head on his- **_her_** shoulders." Cristina says.

"Good save 'cause this Randy is a woman." April tells her.

"Sure does. Well... well. So what brings you here today?" Levi asks.

"You're closing an account." April tells her.

"Well, Levi, I'm here to day because I need to close an account."

"Well... wonderful. Do you have your account number?"

"Yes." April says.

"Yes I do. It's-"

"926-31043." April reminds her.

"926-31-0-43." Cristina tells Levi.

"You're doing beautifully." April praises her.

Cristina sighs deeply as Levi punches Rita Miller's number into the computer. A seven-figured digit appears on the screen. He stares at it for a few seconds and then punches it in again.

"Well, Rita," Levi says trying to remain calm. "You'll be withdrawing $4 million dollars from us today.

"$ _4 MILLION DOLLARS?!_ " Cristina screams out in disbelief.

"Is that correct?" Levi asks as Cristina's looking around trying to regain her composure.

"Say _'yes'_ Cristina!" April tells her, trying to keep her composure as well.

"Yes! $4 million. That's right. Yes." She gasps out.

"Great." Levi chuckles. "And how will you want that?"

Cristina opens her mouth for a moment and then closes before she responds-

"Umm... Tens and twenties?" She says waving her hand in the air casually.

"Pardon me?"

"A cashier's check! Tell him a cashier's check." April tells her.

"A cashier's check would be a lot better, thank you."

"Excellent. Of course, you realize we're required to get some identification from everyone. It's just procedural. I'm sure that you understand." Levi tells her.

"Of course!" She reassures him.

Cristina reaches into her purse and pulls out her _'driver's license, identification card and social security card'_ and hand them to Levi. Levi gets up and walks away from his desk. He seems unsteady on his feet. An officer with red hair is sitting at the next desk is using a brillo pad to clean a stain on his desk. Cristina smiles.

"You know, if you put that brillo pad in the freezer, it'll last twice as long." She advises the bank officer.

"Thank you." The officer nods appreciatively. "Could I interest you on a coffee date for such a suggestion?" He asks her.

"I'd like that." She says.

"Can I get your number?" He asks, taking his phone out.

"Sure. Here's mine." She says as they swap phones.

"If he's bad news, I'm going to haunt him." April warns her.

Levi lays Cristina's ID, DL and her SS cards next to her signature card. The signatures match up. He nods his head in approval.


	37. The Call

Lexie looks up at the clock. It is 3:56. She pushes down a button on the phone. A secretary answers.

"Yes, Ms. Lexie." The secretary answers.

"Get me the First Island Bank of Nassau, please. It's on the rolodex."

"Sure thing, mam."

"Thank you very much." Lexie says as she hangs up the phone.She looks at the clock once more before she starts shaking again, but little did she know what just happened.


	38. No More Money

Mr. Schmitt returns with Rita Miller's signature card and a cashier's check for $4,000,000. Cristina's hand shakes as she examines it.

"I'll just need your signature right here." He says pointing to the back of the check.

"Sure." Cristina says taking the check from him.

"Sign the card with the name Rita Miller." April reminds her.

April looks up and gulps. Jackson has just entered the bank and is heading toward them. She jumps up nervously.

"I'll be back in a minute. You're on your own. Don't say anything foolish. Remember, right now you're Rita Miller."

"Uh-huh." She says as Levi hands her some paperwork to sign.

Cristina signs several more forms and a form officially closing the account. Of course the signatures match. Mr. Schmitt examines them both and smiles. He shakes Cristina's hand.

"Now you be careful with this. It's like carrying cash, you know."

"I sure do." She says positively glowing.

April rushes over to Jackson. She is not sure what to do. Suddenly, she notices a stack of deposit forms on the counter Jackson is about to pass. April hurries to it and flicks the entire stack, a hundred sheets, flying up into the air. Jackson, confused, thinks he is responsible and stoops to pick them up. As soon as Jackson is finished picking up the deposit and withdrawal slips, April, delighted, flicks another stack.

"Come on…." Jackson groans.

Cristina is talking a blue streak when April returns to her.

"….then my mother took all the money from the oil wells and put it in gasoline pumps. Every gas station has 'em you know, sometimes six or more. It truly adds up."

"I bet it does, Ms. Miller."

"Cristina, come on. We gotta get out of here. Say goodbye." April warns her.

"Well, I've got to leave. It's been a pleasure doin' business with you. A real pleasure." Cristina says as she is abruptly getting up. "Kindly say _"hi"_ to Randy, Booby and Snooky for me."

"Thank you, Rita. I'll be glad to." Schmitt smiles as he shakes her hand.

Cristina smiles and leaves. There is a new lilt in her walk. Suddenly April looks and sees Jackson about to stand up.

"Hurry up, Cristina." April tells her, slightly panicking.

At that second, Cristina spots a quarter lying on the ground. She stoops down and picks it up.

"What a day!" Cristina exclaims.

And at that exact moment, Jackson sees her, does a double take, and he starts to go after her. Unfortunately for him, Cristina steps onto an elevator before Jackson can catch up. The doors close. Jackson stops for a moment and then looks back across to the executive area. He sees Levi Schmitt and hurries over to him.

"Hey, Levi."

Levi is surprised to see Jackson and gives him a hug.

"Jackson. How are you?"

"Fine."

"Really, Jackson. How are you doing?"

"I've been better." He says sadly.

"Oh, Jackson."

"It's been so hard, but you know what they say: _'Once one of a kind goes-_ "

" _'-they can't be replaced.'_ I know."

"Anyway, the woman who just left, about the height of Shirley, did you see her?"

"Well, yes. I just took care of her." Levi confirms.

"What did she want? Did it have anything to do with me? Did she ask about April?"

"April? No. Why?" A confused Levi asks him.

"Was her name Cristina by any chance?"

"No, Jackson. Her name is Rita Miller. She just closed an account."

Jackson stares at Schmitt. He's is not sure what to think.

"Jackson, are you sure you're ok? Is there a problem?" Levi asks him kindly.

"No. I guess not. Thanks." A hesitating Jackson responds.

"So, what business brings you here, my friend?" He asks as they walk to one of the private rooms of the bank.


	39. In A Panic

Lexie, in front of her computer, is going crazy. She keeps punching buttons on the keyboard but the same response appears over and over on the screen.

"RITA MILLER, #926-31043. ACCOUNT CLOSED. BALANCE: $00.00."

Panicked, Lexie jumps up. She moves quickly, erratically around the office and then back to the computer. She punches the keys over and over. The same answer appears on the screen. The account is closed.

"No!" Lexie says furiously. "NO, DAMMIT! NO!"

Suddenly Lexie runs through the office. She seems crazed. People look at her.

"Lexie, is something wrong?"

"Is someone playing with the computers?" She asks his co-worker in a panicked frenzy.

"What? Are you kidding me?"

"Is this a joke? Does this look like a joke to you?!" Lexie furiously asks him. "One of my accounts is closed!"

"Which account? What's wrong?"

Lexie freezes. She doesn't answer.

"You want me to call someone?"

Lexie still doesn't answer.

"Lexie?"

"No, no. Never mind. It's okay. It's all right. I can do it." Lexie responds, changing her demeanor as she walks back to her computer.

"Odd." Her co-worker says to himself.


	40. Bye, Bye Money

April and Cristina are walking down the street in front of the bank. Cristina is talking to herself.

"$3,000,000! $4,000,000! Thank GodAlmighty, I have over $4 million!"

April chuckles.

"You know what I can do with this money? I'm gonna roll around in this money naked. Then, I'm going to send my dad's sister to a fat farm. I'll go to a strip club when I need a night out with my sister. OOH! I'll get someone to teach Alex some manners and how to control his temper!"

April actually laughs at that comment.

"He does seem to have a bad temper." April states. Suddenly she sees something.

"Ahh, I'm a millionaire! I'm a millionaire!" Cristina says as if it's a mantra.

"Christina. Take the check out of your purse."

She stops. There is a nervous look on her face.

"Take it out? Why?"

"Just do it."

Cristina, worried, removes the check but holds onto it tightly.

"Now endorse it. Sign Rita Miller." April tells her.

Cristina's mouth drops in complete horror. 'Did I hear him correctly? Is this dude crazy? Endorse it? Why?'

"What do you mean "Why?" April tells her.

At this moment, Cristina barely registers that she said that last part out loud.

"Do what I say." April tells her.

"No! If I endorse it, then-"

"It's not your money. I never said that you were going to get that money at all! That's blood money, Cristina. I was killed for that money and if you keep this money, they will came after you and kill you too. Endorse it now."

"Well, what are you gonna do with it?" Cristina asks nervously.

"We're giving it away."

"Away?" Cristina repeats as if April has gone completely mad. "What do you mean? To who?" She asks, panicking.

April simply smiles, and proceeds to tells her-

"Look to your left." She motions to a spot to her left.

Cristina looks at the nuns collecting money for the homeless. She recoils.

"Are you outta your fucking mind?!" She asks with her mouth and eyes wide open in total horror. "I **KNOW** you don't me to give over $4 million to a bunch of nuns!"

"Do what I tell you."

"No!" She says clutching the check. "I can't. I just can't! I'll give Jackson the best four hours of his life!"

"He'll never go for that. He's mourning me, remember?"

"I just can't give up this money."

"Yes, you can. If you don't do it, they'll track you down. You're only protection is to get rid of it, now."

"Sweet, Jesus, woman, you're killing me, April!" April whines. "It's 4 million dollars!"

"I'm saving you, Cristina. You'll go to heaven for this."

"I don't wanna go to heaven! I just wanna go to the bank and cash the goddamn check!" Cristina growls at her.

With great difficulty, she approaches the nuns.

The nuns look at her with curiosity and compassion.

"Hello, dear." One of the nuns tell her.

"Write "St. Joseph's Shelter". April tells her. "And don't forget to endorse it."

"I know." Cristina says through gritted teeth. With great hesitation, she begins to write. Anybody can sense that every word is a torment for her as the nuns politely avert their eyes from the check. Once she fills out the check, she puts her pen away and starts patting her face. She hands the check over to the nun.

"Bless you, child. Bless you." The nun tells her as Cristina gives her a dirty look and hands the check over.

As the check lands in the nun's hands, Cristina is trying to grab the check back. It's a tug of war.

"Let go." April tells Cristina as she is pulling the check even more.

"Let go!" She repeats, and Cristina lets go of the check.

"Shit!" She says through gritted teeth and she walks away from the nuns.

"I'm proud of you, Cristina Yang!" April yells after her.

She turns back.

"What?" She asks Cristina.

"You know what, April? I don't care if you're proud of me at all! Don't you talk to me! I don't want you coming around anymore. I hate you! Leave me alone! Never talk to me again and I mean it. Understand?"

"Come on, we're friends."

"Friends? Friends?!" Cristina says as she turns on her high heels and wobbles away. April calls after her.

"No matter what you think, I think you're wonderful, Cristina." April reassures her as she reaches the middle of the crosswalk.

Cristina growls again before sticking her tongue at April. April laughs. What she doesn't notice Is that the nuns are secretly peeking at the check. One of them, wide-eyed, faints in the middle of the sidewalk. The other nun stoops down and fans her face in an attempt to revive her.


	41. Scared Silly

It's 7:06 p.m. and almost everyone on the floor has gone. Lexie, hunched over her computer, is typing furious commands on the keyboard. She looks haggard and worn out.

"Come on. Please work." She pleads with her computer, but she fails again.

Sequence after sequence of coded numbers flash past on the monitor screen. April, sitting in a desk chair, watches Lexie's frustration, is currently smiling.

"Please tell me that this is it." Lexie says as she punches in another code, but it fails. She pounds the desk with her fists.

"Hahaha! Search, you dumb bitch! You'll never find it, you murdering bitch. It's gone. All if it is gone, you conniving bitch!" April taunts with a huge smile on her face. "They'll kill you for this, Lexie. You and Will Thorpe? They'll wipe you two fucks off the face of the earth. And in the blink of an eye, everyone that you now consider a friend will **erase** you from their memory. And when they find out that you had me killed, they'll call your death a **revenge** killing."

In a moment of childish delight, April pushes her feet against the wall and the chair shoots across the room. Lexie looks up and sees an empty chair moving. She stares at it in confusion, and then goes back to the screen. She seems desperate. Nothing is working.

April smiles, devilishly.

Panicked and frightened, Lexie flicks off the computer and storms furiously around the room. April approaches the computer, hesitates a moment, and then pushes the power switch. The computer turns back on. Lexie spins around.

"Thank God for Mac computers." April says with a smile on his face.

She notices that Lexie is staring at the computer curiously for a moment and then turns it back off. April, enjoying this, reaches for the power button and turns it back on again. Lexie stares at it.

"What the-?" Lexie wonders, frightfully.

Suddenly, April has an idea to scare the living day lights out of Lexie. She sits on Lexie's desk.

Lexie watches as the keys seem to depress themselves and letters begin appearing on the screen. She sits down, completely mesmerized by what is happening. Then her face grows tense. The word "M-U-R-D-E-R-E-R" is emerging before her.

Lexie flies out of his chair, frantically running around to see who else is on the floor. She yells out like a madwoman.

"Who's doing that?" Lexie demands, still sounding scared. "Who the fuck is doing that?!"

There is no one there. She hears the keyboard beginning to type again and hurries back to look at the screen. One word appears. "A-P-R-I-L".

Lexie gasps and smashes the computer with her fist. It crashes to the floor. Electrical sparks go flying as Lexie gasps for breath.

April cannot hold herself back any longer. With a horrifying scream, she charges at Lexie, jamming her fist hard into Lexie's ribs.

"You bitch! You goddamn bitch!" April yells at her.

Lexie grabs her side.

"Ah!" Lexie yells outs.

April hits Lexie again. Lexie gasps in inexplicable pain.

"It's dinner time, Lexie." April reminds Lexie. "Don't you have a date with Jackson, you dumb murdering bitch?"

"Help me!" Lexie says out loud, but it's of no use. She's the only one in the office. Alive one, that is.

April keeps hitting deeper into Lexie's mid-section. Lexie doubles over as though she's going to throw up.

"Jesus! Oh God!" Lexie yells out.

April is flushed with excitement. Lexie kneels beside her desk. She cannot understand what is happening to her at all. Her face goes stark white as the attack continues.

"Cross me one more time, and I will hurt you some more." April warns her.

Then, unexpectedly, the assault stops. April, exhausted, stares hatefully at her old friend cowering on the floor. Slowly and dizzily, Lexie gets up. She looks fearfully around the office and then, holding her stomach, hurries from the room.

April laughs at the coward bitch.


	42. Hints

"I always loved this chair. It's a pity that April hated this damn chair." Jackson says to their cat as he picks him up and proceeds to get ready for his dinner date with Lexie.

* * *

Three hours later, Jackson, all dressed to go out, is sitting in April's easy chair, asleep. Suddenly Lexie arrives knocking at the door.

"Jackson!" Lexie yells out and Jackson wakes up. "Jackson it's me!"

"Coming." Jackson says as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. As Jackson makes his way to the door, he looks at himself in the nearest mirror, popping a mint in his mouth. As he opens the door, he's shocked.

"Oh my-"

Lexie does not look well. April is with her, but Jackson doesn't know that.

"Lexie? Where were you?" Jackson says, visibly worried about his friend. "I thought we were having...?"

"I'm sorry. Things just got so crazy. I completely forgot." Lexie says, completely honest.

"Yeah. Old Lexie had a little trouble at the office. Fucking slut." April tells Jackson, gleefully.

"Forgot? I was worried." He says, hugging Lexie. "Is everything okay? Are you all right?"

"I'm okay. I'm alright. Look, can I talk to you for minute? Can I come in?" Lexie asks him.

"Sure. Come in." Jackson says. Jackson eyes Lexie with concern as she enters the loft.

"I need to ask you a question." Lexie says.

"Food first, because you look exhausted. I'll make us some spaghetti in a jiffy." Jackson says as he makes his way to the kitchen.

"I'll help." Lexie says. "The faster we work, the faster we eat."

Half an hour later, Jackson brings out two plates of spaghetti and they both eat their food, talking about nothing at all.

"This was good." Lexie says as they finish their meal."

"I know." Jackson says. "I haven't cooked for anyone else since….it's just been a while."

"I understand." Lexie says. "How about we dance a bit to lighten up the mood?"

"Sure. What do you want to dance to?"

"Anything your heart desires."

"Still like the Piece by Piece Remixed Album?" Jackson wonders.

"Let's dance." Lexie says as Jackson grabs the album.

Six songs in, they are laughing, having a good time and all of a sudden, Jackson stops dancing.

"Jackson, what's-"

Jackson kisses Lexie.

"Jackson-" Lexie says as she pulls away from the kiss.

"Please." Jackson says, and they resume kissing.

After a few minutes of passionate kissing, Jackson pulled away.

"Sorry, I took advantage of you." Jackson says completely ashamed of himself.

"Took advantage of me?" Lexie says. "You did nothing of the sorts, but I should be the one apologizing."

"Well, we're just both sorry people." Jackson says and Lexie starts laughing.

"I guess so." Lexie says and April snorts.

"So what did you want to ask me?" Jackson says as he fixed his shirt.

"This bitch needs to borrow $4 million dollars." April tells him.

"Oh. Jackson, I know what the police said, but when you thought April was here, when you thought she spoke to you, what did you feel? What did she say?"

"Why? What happened?" Jackson asks.

"Jackson, I'm talking about that- that psychic woman, I want to know what she told you. I want to know what she said." Lexie says in a tense tone.

"Lexie, please just drop this. It was all a hoax. I told you. It wasn't real. She's just a damn charlatan." Jackson says. He hesitates and stares at Lexie. "Does this have anything to do with her being at the bank today?"

"Oh damn." April says to herself. Jackson had inadvertently helped out Lexie.

"At the bank?" Lexie gulps.

April tenses. She holds up her hand as if wanting Jackson to stop.

"I was sure I saw her at the bank. Schmitt says she was taking out money. It turns out her name isn't even Cristina. It's Rita Miller or something."

Lexie turns white. Her eyes bulge. She feels sick.

"Lexie, are you ok? What's wrong?"

"Stomach. My stomach. Do you have anything? Pepto Bismol?"

"Cyanide?" April supplies.

"Sure." Jackson says, worriedly. "Just a second. What's going on?"

Concerned, he hurries from the room. April digs his hands into Lexie's back. Lexie jerks forward in intense pain and begins flailing at the air.

"What are you doing to me. Get away! Get away!" Lexie yells.


	43. Threat

April does not go away. Freaked, Lexie runs into the kitchen and she rushes to the stove. Quickly, she turns on the gas. She looks beyond crazed. Turning to the air, she begins whispering loudly.

April snorts.

"You touch me again and I'll set your precious Jackson on fire. I mean it. I swear to God I'll kill your precious man. I'll blow up the whole building if I have to. Stay away!" Lexie threatens.

April jabs at the knob on the stove and begins to turn it off. Lexie sees it move. Shocked and frightened, she grabs it and pulls it off, leaving only the tiny stem in place.

"Go on, try it again. Let me see you turn it off now." Lexie says.

April, frightened, tries with all his might but she cannot twist it. Lexie pulls out a cigarette lighter and gloats.

"Try and hurt me. Do it! I'll kill him if you hurt me." Lexie tells April in total glee.

April rushes at Lexie about to jam her full fist into Lexie's chest, but then she stops, afraid. She simply pulls back, shaken. Lexie stands there waiting for a blow that doesn't come. She begins to gloat.

"Smart move, you murdering sick-fuck." April says.

"What's the matter? You believe me, don't you? You better believe me! I want my money. All of it! I need that money and I want it tonight - at 11:00. If that psychic lady doesn't bring it here, Jackson's dead."

April freezes. 'Jackson.' She thinks to herself, heartbroken.

Jackson enters the kitchen. He instantly grabs his nose.

"Oh my, God." Jackson says in disgust. "Is that the gas?"

Lexie acts as if that's the reason she came into the kitchen.

"We must have accidentally left the stove on." Lexie lies. She fiddles with the dials and turns it off. "Just glad I smelled it."

"Me, too." A confused Jackson says as he moves to open a window.

"Jackson, I'm sorry. I've got to go. Look, there's something going on. I can't talk now. Apparently, there's some trouble at the bank."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble? Is it that woman, the psychic?" Jackson asks.

"I don't have time to talk now. What if I come back? Around 11:00?"

"Lexie, what's going on? Let me help you. I mean, we do work at the same place and-"

"I can't do that to you while you're still in a bad head space. Besides, I want to prove to myself that I can do this amount of work on my own. I'm sorry to do this, but it's important. I'll be back."

Jackson is speechless.

"Eleven!" Lexie shouts as she makes her way to the door.

"Be careful!" Jackson shouts back.


End file.
